SI

Bobby Witt Jr. Clobbered a Homer on Highest Pitch in Recent Royals History

The shortstop continues to show how he's different from the rest.

Madison Williams

Aug 12, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) celebrates his home run against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field.
Aug 12, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) celebrates his home run against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. continues to show how different he really is with his latest home run in Wednesday's game vs. the Minnesota Twins.

In the top of the third inning of Wednesday's game, Twins pitcher Louie Varland threw a pitch that was 4.07 feet above the ground. The ball was nearly as tall as Witt's shoulders in the batter's box. To the average hitter, this would've easily been a ball. But, Witt decided to give it a swing, and he was rewarded with his risk.

Witt clobbered the ball and hit a 398-foot home run at Target Field. MLB's Sarah Langs reported that this was the highest hit pitch for a home run by a Royals player since pitch tracking began in 2008.

Take a look at the magic here.

The Royals won 4–1 to avoid a sweep by one of their AL Central rivals.

Witt is now averaging .349/.397/.612 through 121 games this season. Wednesday's homer was his 24th of the season.

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/MLB