Ian Kennedy handed the baseball to his manager and stepped off the pitcher’s mound on late Saturday night, the noise inside Kauffman Stadium rising to a steady roar. He sauntered back to the dugout, tipping his cap softly as he crossed the first-base line. As he reached the dugout stairs, the 31,001 fans here on Saturday night had risen to their feet.
Kennedy’s Royals debut would soon be in the books, a clean and well-crafted gem in a 7-0 shellacking of the Minnesota Twins. He lasted 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven while allowing just five hits. On his first night of work in a new home, Kennedy was mostly impenetrable, his two-seam fastball running across every corner of the plate.