KANSAS CITY – Kyle Isbel is not one of the loudest talkers the Royals have in their clubhouse, preferring to let his work on the field and preparation off it speak more than anything else.
On Friday night, he was loud and clear.
From defensive gems to clutch hits, Isbel had his hands all over the Royals’ 4-3 walk-off win over the Tigers at Kauffman Stadium, including acting as the walk-off hero with an RBI single in the ninth inning.
Isbel first made an impact where he has done his best work for the past five seasons with the Royals: roaming the center-field grass and making elite plays look routine. In the top of the eighth inning, Isbel made two excellent catches.
First, a diving play in left-center field robbed Wenceel Pérez of extra bases, and Isbel’s 8.6 feet above average jump was excellent. Next, Isbel ranged back to the warning track on a hard-hit ball from Spencer Torkelson for a catch that ended the inning.
Nearly the entire defensive team – including reliever John Schreiber – was waiting for Isbel at the entrance to the dugout for the well-deserved high fives.
“He’s Gold Glove-caliber out there,” Schreiber said. “I feel like I haven’t gotten a strikeout in a while, so I know balls are going to be put in play. It’s nice to have him out there – and fun to watch.”
There’s something to be said about what defensive gems can do for a team, and the Royals certainly seemed to feed off it. Against righty reliever Kyle Finnegan, Michael Massey led off the bottom of the eighth with a double and scored on Isbel’s single that got past Pérez in right field, allowing Isbel to land on third base. He easily scored one pitch later on Maikel Garcia’s game-tying single up the middle.
“That was bang-bang-bang,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Really good at-bats off a good pitcher.”
The Royals had to get through a scary ninth inning to keep their comeback going. Reliever Lucas Erceg and catcher Elias Díaz collided on a popout bunt, their knees hitting each other and Erceg receiving the brunt of it because of Díaz’s shin guards. They were somehow able to shake it off and work around a double and a walk to preserve the tie.
“I just have to be ready for any situation whenever they need me,” Díaz said. “Even those situations.”
Extra innings loomed until Nick Loftin lined a pinch-hit double off the left-center-field wall, setting up Isbel’s opposite-field single through the left side of the infield.
This time? Isbel was mobbed by his entire team at first base after recording his first career walk-off RBI.
“Looking for something away there, try to hit the hole, and was able to get enough of it to get it through,” Isbel said, succinct as ever.
While Isbel prefers not to talk about himself, his teammates love doing it.
“I’ve seen it firsthand for a long time now, so it’s no surprise,” Loftin said. “He’s a staple in the outfield for us, defensively and offensively. He’s been able to just do what he needs to do. Put the bat on the ball, hit some barrels here and there. He’s found some green grass that has gotten us wins, and they’ve been big for us. It’s really cool to watch and really cool to be a part of.”
Isbel really has been a staple for the Royals in the outfield going back to his rookie year in 2021. His 36 outs above average in that span rank seventh among MLB center fielders, and any Royals pitcher will tell you he loves having Isbel out there when on the mound. Any Royals player, coach, personnel, scout and executive would probably say the same thing either playing beside him or watching him play.
Offensively, Isbel has consistently improved, especially over the past few seasons. He serves the nine-hole role in the lineup well as the lineup turns over, and he has gotten off to a good start this season, with a .283/.347/.424 slash line in 32 games.
“He’s a grinder,” said starter Kris Bubic, who was tagged for three runs in 5 2/3 innings. “... He’s always had that mentality of doing whatever it takes to win a ballgame. Obviously, defensively, he’s one of the best in the game tracking balls down out there. The at-bats are so professional, using the whole field, spits on good pitches, extends at-bats. You saw it there: He didn’t crush that ball, but it found a hole, and I’m happy for him, because he deserves it more than anybody.”