'Dream’s a reality': Brentz back home in STL

ST. LOUIS -- Jake Brentz looked across Busch Stadium to the seats above the State Farm signage in right field and pointed.

“I was right there,” Brentz said, “when David Freese hit that triple. And ever since then, it became my die-hard dream. I was willing to do whatever it takes to get here.”

The triple Brentz was referring to is the most iconic one in Cardinals history: David Freese’s two-out, game-tying triple in the bottom of the ninth in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. Brentz, in high school at the time, watched as the hometown player Freese led his team to a World Series championship.

This weekend, Brentz got a chance to be the hometown kid.

The Royals' lefty grew up in Ballwin, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, and went to Parkway South High School while attending more Cardinals games than he could count as a kid. Now he’s donning Royal blue and emerging as a lights-out reliever in the Kansas City bullpen, but he’s had the weekend series in St. Louis circled on the calendar since he made the Royals’ Opening Day roster.

Brentz had his moment in the bottom of the seventh inning Sunday in the Royals’ 6-5 win. The adrenaline was apparent, and he gave up one run on two singles, a walk and a wild pitch. But he got out of the inning with a grounder, a strikeout looking and a flyout.

“I knew he was going to be pretty amped up,” manager Mike Matheny said. “This is a young player that spent a lot of his childhood going to games here. I knew it wasn’t just another day on a Major League mound. He had a suite full of friends and family, people who were cheering him on, which is special, but it could also potentially make it harder. But I thought he did a nice job.”

Brentz couldn’t give a number for how many family and friends he's had in the stands this weekend because there were too many to count. His immediate family, his extended family, his fiancé’s family and friends from high school all flocked to Busch Stadium over the three-game set. As he talked with MLB.com on the field Friday, a group of friends hovered near the dugout, waiting to say hi.

“There’s so many people,” Brentz said, laughing. “I am thankful for every stadium I go to. As someone who worked as much as I did in the Minors, I’m grateful to be here and get to go to all the parks. But this one, man, it’s by far my favorite.”

It’s been a long journey for Brentz to get to where he is now: A high-leverage reliever on an up-and-coming Royals pitching staff. The 26-year-old was drafted in the 11th round out of Parkway South in 2013 by the Blue Jays. In 2015, he was traded to the Mariners. In 2016, he was traded to the Pirates. In August 2019, he was released.

Four days later, the Royals signed Brentz to a Minor League contract. He was assigned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he began his ascent. His velocity has skyrocketed to 100 mph. He’s developed a changeup and fine-tuned his biting slider.

And now he’s one of the Royals’ highest-leverage relievers as a rookie, constantly learning how to move on from a bad outing quickly or build momentum from a good one. He entered this weekend after notching his first career save on Thursday against the White Sox in a lights-out ninth inning in which he used his adrenaline to his advantage with some electric stuff.

“He’s been impressive,” Matheny said. “Just the confidence. Days when he hasn’t been as sharp as he wants, he seems to bounce back pretty quickly. Been able to fight through tougher outings. … Earning a one-run save, that wasn’t necessarily part of the game plan. And necessity called for Jake, and he answered in a big way. That was a noisy answer. That ball was jumping.”

Brentz played with Matheny’s son Tate, who’s now in the Red Sox organization, in high school and met Matheny a few times then. The manager has been integral to Brentz’s season, and both got to see family and face a team they’re familiar with this weekend.

“I’ve known Mike and have had a relationship with him, and I knew that opportunity would be there if I performed,” Brentz said. “He’s been such a huge help for me just for my learning process. He’s trusted in me, taught me a lot. Told me I’d have some bumps and bruises and how to respond to those. Just instilled in me to have fun, go out there and trust my stuff. I have what it takes, so don’t hold anything back. He’s been a huge help to everything I’ve done this year.”

Brentz remembers going to Cardinals games growing up and dreaming about pitching on the mound one day. It wasn’t until this season that he believed his could.

“I knew I had the potential to be here, but I never actually believed I could pitch on this mound,” Brentz said. “Now that I’m with the Royals and might have that opportunity, it’s very surreal. To be in uniform, walking in the stadium, it’s something you dream about as a little kid. Now that it’s happening. The dream’s a reality. It’s hard to explain. It’s just awesome.”

Six-man rotation
The Royals will activate Brady Singer from the 10-day injured list (right shoulder fatigue) to make Wednesday’s start against the Yankees, and the plan for now is to roll with a six-man rotation if everyone stays healthy.

Starting Monday, that rotation will look like this: Carlos Hernández, Daniel Lynch, Singer, Mike Minor, Brad Keller and Kris Bubic. The Royals believe there’s a benefit to giving their starters an extra day of rest, especially during the full, 162-game season after the shortened season last year.