Fastball

Kansas City Royals All-Star Sits atop Team History as Magical Season Continues

The Kansas City Royals swept the Chicago White Sox on Sunday as right-hander Seth Lugo moved to the top of team history in this All-Star season.

Brady Farkas

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo (67) celebrates with catcher Freddy Fermin (34) after the win over the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium on July 21.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo (67) celebrates with catcher Freddy Fermin (34) after the win over the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium on July 21. / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
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The Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Sunday afternoon to earn a sweep of their divisional foes this weekend.

With the wins, the Royals are now 55-45 on the season and they've moved back into the third wild card spot in the American League. They are 1.0 game up on the Boston Red Sox for that last spot. They are 2.5 games up on the Seattle Mariners as they seek their first playoff appearance since 2015.

In the win, Royals right-hander Seth Lugo dominated once again on the mound. The All-Star threw a complete game, allowing just one run on three hits. He walked none and struck out six in moving to 12-4 on the year with a 2.38 ERA.

That ERA has put him at the top of a very impressive list in team history, according to @StatsCentre:

Lowest ERA - Pitcher's first 21 starts with the @Royals franchise:
2.38- Seth Lugo (2024 thanks to his complete game 3-hitter in today's 4-1 defeat of the White Sox)
2.49- Paul Splitorff (1970-71)
2.59- Rich Gale (1979)
2.84- Andy Hassler (1976-77)
2.86- Jeremy Guthrie (2012-13)

The 34-year-old Lugo, who signed with Kansas City in the offseason, has been the anchor of the team's rotation. He's struck out 122 batters in 136.0 innings and has brought stability to a group that went 56-106 a season ago.

Lugo is in his ninth year in the big leagues with the New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Royals. He's gone 52-35 for his career with a 3.30 ERA.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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