The Royals waited an extra day to get their Opening Day game started on Friday night in Atlanta. Anticipation for the 2026 season was the hardest part of it all.
The good vibes did not last very long once the Royals took the field at Truist Park. They dropped Game 1 of the season, 6-0, to the Braves.
The Royals haven’t won an Opening Day matchup since 2022 against Cleveland. Friday marked their seventh consecutive Opening Day loss on the road.
Royals Confident Despite Opening Defeat
One game does not define the Royals’ season.
“Our expectations for ourselves are higher than anyone’s,” shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said prior to the game. “So we’ve got to go out there and prove ourselves right. Go out there and play the game that we’ve played since we were little. And just know that we’re some dudes out there.”
The Royals feel confident in the roster they’ve built.
Quatraro’s Assessment of Game 1
“Obviously didn’t go our way,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “That wasn’t how we would have drawn it up. They pitched well. You knew it was going to be tough to score on [Chris] Sale. We had some opportunities early that we didn’t capitalize on, and they hit the long ball. And that was really the story of the game.”
Ragans Reflects on Opening Performance
Starter Cole Ragans allowed four runs on six hits and four walks in four laborious innings. He needed 90 pitches to get through his first start of the season. He never threw fewer than 20 pitches in each of his frames.
Ragans needed three pitches to record two outs in the bottom of the first inning. His heel caught on the mound when he was facing Ozzie Albies, causing Ragans to stumble. Two pitches later, Albies hit a hanging changeup for a home run. Ragans needed 22 pitches to get through the first inning.
“I’m not going to blame it on [the stumble],” Ragans said. “I just didn’t command the baseball.”
Another solo homer in the third added to the Braves’ lead. Ragans walked Jonah Heim in the fourth and allowed a two-run homer to Michael Harris II.
Perez was 3-for-3 in ABS challenges Friday night, all low pitches turned into strikes.
“I love it,” Ragans said. “That changes the count. There are going to be situations where those get overturned where that’s a big situation in the game. Obviously, I should have gone after the guy a little more after getting that pitch.”
Perez added: “I got a pretty good idea — side to side is a little hard, but up and down, yeah, I have a pretty good idea. I thought they were strikes, and I took
The Royals feel there is still work to be done.