Kansas City Royals make history at end of alphabet
By David Hill
It is a rare occasion to see multiple players with a last name starting with the letter Z on the diamond. From Adrian Zabala to Tony Zych, a grand total of 102 MLB players have had a last name beginning with that letter. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals are looking to corner the market on players whose last name begins with a Z.
On Thursday, the Royals set a record for the most pitchers whose last name began with Z. Not only did the Royals have three pitchers whose last name began with Z, but all of them took the mound in the same game.
Tonight is the 1st game in Major League history in which one team had three different pitchers appear whose last name starts with a Z. Prior to tonight, no team had more than two such pitchers in any single season.
— Nick Kappel (@NickKappel) October 1, 2021
Kansas City Royals corner market on end of alphabet
The evening began with Angel Zerpa making his major league debut. Although he would take the loss, he impressed over the course of his outing. He allowed two runs, both unearned, on three hits and a walk over his five innings, striking out four batters. Considering his struggles in both Double-A and Triple-A this season, this outing was far more than the Royals could have imagined.
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Tyler Zuber entered in the seventh. He struggled over the course of his inning, allowing two runs on three hits. Zuber has displayed flashes of his potential, but his command issues have kept him from being a dominant part of the bullpen.
Kyle Zimmer finished out the game for the Z trifecta. He allowed a run on one hit and a walk over his two innings, saving the bullpen from any further usage. The former fifth overall pick has also had a disappointing showing in his first full major league season, posting a 5.09 ERA and a 1.434 WHiP. As is the case with Zuber, Zimmer’s command issues have held him back this season.
It remains to be seen if any of these pitchers will be able to be a part of the Royals’ future. Zuber and Zimmer had a chance to cement a role in the bullpen this year, but have not been as consistent as anyone would have wanted. Zerpa is still not ready, despite his solid showing. As the Royals are looking to contend in the near future, there could be a lot of changes forthcoming.
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The Kansas City Royals used three pitchers whose last name begins with Z on Thursday. In doing so, they made major league history.