Taylor's 1st hit a walk-off: 'This is nothing you dream of'

KANSAS CITY -- Bobby Witt Jr. had a special delivery to make.

The speedy shortstop sprinted out to center field Saturday afternoon, chasing after the ball that Samad Taylor had just driven for his first MLB hit in his big league debut, which, oh by the way, happened to be the hit that lifted the Royals to a 10-9 walk-off win over the Angels at Kauffman Stadium.

The storybook ending capped a six-run comeback, snapped a 10-game losing streak and injected infectious energy back into the clubhouse.

“It’s crazy how baseball works sometimes,” Witt said.

After Taylor, the Royals’ No. 19 prospect, hit a 401-foot RBI single off reliever Chris Devenski to score Maikel Garcia, the left fielder was mobbed on the infield.

Witt and his teammates dumped water on Taylor. Salvador Perez hoisted him on his shoulders. Taylor’s parents, Jamal and Charlotte, and older sister, Sakiah, celebrated wildly in a suite.

Then Witt noticed the ball sitting on the warning track. He didn’t see anyone going after it. Why not him?

“I liked his chances against the bat boy,” manager Matt Quatraro said.

“I was like, ‘Might as well go get it,’” added Witt, who drove in four of the Royals’ 10 runs. “I was afraid someone else was going to grab it if someone got to it later, some security guard. Just wanted to make sure he got that ball. It’s very special.”

Witt raced back to the team with an ear-to-ear goofy grin as he held up the ball, hand-delivering it to Taylor, who was too dazed to register what was going on. The ball was handed off to Royals officials to be authenticated for the moment of a lifetime.

Taylor, who was called up Friday but did not play, became the second player in Royals history to have a walk-off hit in his Major League debut, following Kevin Seitzer’s walk-off single (his second hit) on Sept. 3, 1986, against the White Sox, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Taylor also walked twice Saturday, becoming the third Royal to record two walks in his debut, following Eric Hosmer (two) on May 6, 2011, and Jorge Pedre (three) on Sept. 7, 1991.

Most of all, it was Taylor’s energy, said his teammates, that helped the Royals complete their seventh comeback win and the largest deficit overcome this season.

“During the game, and even before the game, he was constantly picking everybody up, being the leader, even as the guy making his debut,” said MJ Melendez, who hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning. “Constantly having a positive attitude knowing the game wasn’t ever out of reach for us.”

Beyond his speed and sneaky pop, which has made him the Royals’ No. 19 prospect and an intriguing name to watch moving forward, Taylor’s energy is another tool he brings to the ballpark. It was “exactly what we’ve heard he’s been doing in Triple-A,” Quatraro said.

That helped when the Royals found themselves in a deep hole entering the bottom of the seventh inning, down 8-2 and trying desperately to find a spark in a season of struggles.

“I was coming off the field, trying to get the guys going and motivate them,” Taylor said. “We were down early. Stayed down until the [seventh] inning. The biggest thing was to come into the dugout and get the momentum going. I know as soon as you get momentum in the game of baseball, anything can change.”

Things started changing after a three-run seventh thanks to RBIs from Drew Waters and Witt. The Royals scored another three in the eighth with RBIs from Nick Pratto and Witt again.

“Worry-free baseball is the best baseball,” Witt said. “So go up there with an easy mindset, relax and live in the moment.”

After Aroldis Chapman allowed the go-ahead run to score in the top of the ninth, the Royals had one more comeback in them. Edward Olivares blooped a single to lead off the inning, and pinch-runner Dairon Blanco stole second and went to third on an error before scoring on Garcia’s single through the gap. Garcia stole second and went to third on Nicky Lopez’s sacrifice bunt, bringing Taylor to the plate in a massive moment.

“Walking up, kind of blacked out for a second, but got back to it,” Taylor said. “First pitch went by, I had to call timeout. Crowd was loud and sped it up a little, so I had to call timeout and slow it down.”

After slowing his breathing down, Taylor drove Devenski’s changeup out over center fielder Mike Trout’s head and pounded his chest as he ran down the first base line.

“You can’t even put this moment into words,” Taylor said. “Growing up, chasing my dream, this is nothing you dream of. First hit as a walk-off hit? Never dream of that. I’m lost for words. I’m still taking it all in. But I’m happy, though.”