KANSAS CITY — The Royals, Bobby Witt Jr. says, are not a superstitious group.
Well, maybe only a little stitious.
Several Royals players received a shipment of new blue knee-high socks earlier this week, and on the heels of a three-game losing streak, the infielders — led by first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino — made a coordinated effort to all hitch up their pants on Tuesday night against the Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium.
The result? A 3-2 win, evening the four-game set at one apiece and stopping the Royals’ losing streak in its tracks.
Starter Michael Wacha labored through 4 1/3 innings, needing 96 pitches to get 13 outs, but the bullpen was lights out.
Chris Stratton entered with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth and allowed a sacrifice fly before getting out of the inning without further damage. Helped along by a diving catch from MJ Melendez in left field for the first out of the sixth inning, Stratton threw a shutdown inning after the Royals took the lead in the fifth, which earned Stratton the win.
Closer James McArthur picked up his second career six-out save.
Bobby Witt ripped a go-ahead, two-run double down the left-field line.
Alec Marsh goes for Kansas City tonight at 6:40.