SI

MLB Fans Roasted Astros for Giving Up Nine Runs to Royals in First Inning

Madison Williams

Astros pitcher Hunter Brown reacts to Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. hitting a home run.
Astros pitcher Hunter Brown reacts to Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. hitting a home run. / MLB/Screengrab
In this story:

The Kansas City Royals dominated the Houston Astros in the first inning of Thursday afternoon's game by scoring nine runs.

After pitching to 14 batters and recording just two outs, Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown was taken out in the first inning with the bases loaded. Brown allowed 11 hits, including a solo homer mashed by Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., and walked one batter in a disastrous inning.

Per MLB.com's Paul Casella, Brown is the first player in MLB history to allow 11 hits while pitching less than one full inning.

Relief pitcher Seth Martinez took over for Brown and ended the long first inning by striking out the first batter he faced, left fielder Nelson Velazquez.

The Royals' 11 hits tied a franchise record for the most hits in a single inning.

While many fans were excited to see the Royals, who finished with MLB's second-worst record last season, playing so well, baseball fans quickly began roasting the Astros for the horrendous inning. If the Royals win on Thursday, they will sweep the Astros and continue their six-game winning streak.

Take a look at some of the social media reactions:

Published
Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

Home/College