The Kansas City Royals are striving for their first playoff appearance since 2015, and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is pursuing a piece of baseball history that hasn’t been seen in 88 years.
According to Jayson Stark of ‘The Athletic,’ if Witt Jr. continues his current pace for the next six weeks, he could end the season with 141 runs and 227 hits. This would place him in the exclusive 140-220 Club, a group that hasn’t welcomed a new member in nearly nine decades.
At 24, Witt Jr. has emerged as one of the top players in the league this year. He’s an All-Star and a probable MVP finalist, leading the majors with a .352 batting average. He has also hit 25 home runs and driven in 92 RBIs. Witt Jr. tops the league in runs scored (110) and hits (178), and he has played the most games in the American League with 127.
While contributions from pitchers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha have been valuable, Witt Jr. has been central to the Royals’ resurgence, who won only 56 games last season.
As of Friday, the Royals have a record of 71-56 and are tied with the Minnesota Twins for the second wild card spot. Both teams are 2.0 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central.
The Royals are scheduled to play the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night, with the first pitch set for 8:10 p.m. ET.
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