The Kansas City Royals entered Friday’s showdown with the Colorado Rockies with high hopes of getting their first win of the 2023 season when Jordan Lyles starts. Heading to the contest, Lyles was 0-11 in his starts with the team, and so he was desperate for a win.
Unfortunately, it just seems like Lyles is cursed, with the Royals delivering another disappointing game despite having all the advantages in the world. Kansas City had fresher arms and legs after last playing on Tuesday, while Colorado was coming off a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks that ended Thursday.
Despite their clear rest advantage, Kansas City still lost to Colorado, 7-2. They were actually ahead 2-1 up until the eighth inning when the Rockies hit the Royals with six runs, highlighted by Elias Diaz’s two-run double.
With that, Lyles also made an unwanted record. Apparently, it’s just the seventh time in MLB history that a pitcher lost his first 12 starts of a season, via ESPN Stats and Info.
For what it’s worth, however, Jordan Lyles isn’t the one to blame for the defeat. He actually had his best start of the 2023 season so far, and it was just that eighth-inning collapse that really doomed them.
Lyles pitched for five innings and ended up striking out eight batters. He only allowed two hits and one earned run in what was otherwise an incredible pitching for him. After he let Ryan McMahon take a solo home run in the first inning, he was actually sharper and appeared to be really determined to get his first win.
Too bad that it just wasn’t meant to be for him. Be it a curse or what, it’s hard not to feel bad for Lyles.