Cole Ragans was cruising through six innings against the Baltimore Orioles. And he likely could’ve kept going, if not for some cramping in his calf.
The Kansas City Royals ace was at 80 pitches, having only allowed four hits in Tuesday’s MLB playoff opener, an American League Wild Card meeting at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He had eight strikeouts in what became a 1-0 Royals win.
Notably, Ragans had escaped a runners-on-the-corners jam by striking out two in the fifth, then had a 1-2-3 shutdown sixth inning, ending with another strikeout. But he was pulled from the game, as the Royals went to the bullpen early…