KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mitch Farris pitched five effective innings to win his major league debut and Jo Adell hit a two-run homer that helped the Angels defeat the Kansas City Royals, 5-1, on Tuesday night.
The 24-year-old Ferris (1-0), drafted by Atlanta and acquired by the Angels this past offseason, allowed only a third-inning sacrifice fly, three hits and two walks while striking out three on 70 pitches.
Jo Adell ensured Ferris would come away with the win, connecting for a 454-foot two-run homer to left field in the top of the sixth inning against former Angel (and Anaheim native) Michael Lorenzen (5-9).
Adell finished with three hits and Oswald Peraza had an RBI double for the Angels (65-73), who scratched star Mike Trout less than an hour before the game because of a skin infection. Trout is considered day-to-day.
Farris (1-0) walked his first batter of the night but soon settled in. He allowed a walk and a single in the second, but kept the Royals off the board save for the one run in the third. He retired the final seven batters he faced.
“I was super nervous,” Farris said of the leadup to his debut. “The anticipation was killing me yesterday and today. Once I got on the field, moving around, it all took care of itself. I was moving a little quick (early), but at the end of the day, it’s still baseball. I’m doing the same thing I’ve done since I was 5 years old.”
The Angels had a chance to open the scoring in the third. Bryce Teodosio singled and stole second with nobody out. But Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. saved a potential run with a brilliant diving snag on Zach Neto’s bouncer just onto the outfield grass, then threw a rocket to first for the out. Teodosio advanced to third but was stranded after Lorenzen struck out Luis Rengifo and Yoán Moncada.
Witt then tripled into the right-field corner in the bottom of the third and scored on Vinnie Pasquantino’s sacrifice sacrifice fly to left.
In the sixth, Lorenzen yielded a one-out single to Rengifo, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. He then scored on the long ball from Adell, who was a triple shy of the cycle.
Adell’s homer was the only blemish for Lorenzen. He allowed four hits and struck out five over six innings for the Royals (70-68), who were held to four hits during their sixth loss in 10 games.
The Angels added two more runs in the seventh. Chris Taylor doubled and came home on a double by Peraza, who went to third on Teodosio’s fly ball to right and scored on John Schreiber’s wild pitch.
Teodosio added a ninth-inning sacrifice fly for the Angels.
Farris had plenty of friends and family members on hand for his debut.
“I heard them and I saw them,” said Farris, who went to high school in Palm Harbor, Florida and played collegiately at Wingate University in North Carolina. “It means the world that they would come out for me. I’m getting emotional talking about it right now. I’m looking forward to seeing them.”
Kansas City remained 2½ games behind Seattle for the last American League wild-card berth.
RANDOM COINCIDENCE
Farris became the fourth Angels pitcher to make his MLB debut as a starter in Kansas City, following Frank Tanana (1973), Jarrod Washburn (1998) and Seth Etherton (2000).
UP NEXT
Angels (TBA) at Royals (RHP Ryan Bergert, 2-1, 2.67 ERA), Wednesday, 4:40 p.m. PT, FDSN West, 830 AM