The Royals spent the offseason working on improving their defense and hitting, and both were on full display in their 9-5 victory over the Soldiers.  Several players had huge days in the field, and a big 2nd inning provided all the offense they'd need to get their first victory of the season.

Kyle Tanaka started on the bump and turned in a solid 4 innings, allowing 2 runs (0 earned) on 4 hits.  Jake Romo came in to relieve, vulturing the win with 3.2 innings and 5 strikeouts.  He allowed 2 runs in the 8th, leaving with the bases loaded, but Gabe Sherman locked down the victory allowing only 1 earned over the final 1.1 innings.

At the plate, Romo led the way with a pair of doubles, 2 runs scored and an rbi.  Alex Uy and Daniel Gutierrez both had a pair of hits and a pair of runs scored as well.  For Gutierrez, those were his first 2 hits as a Royal!  Eric Addis and Michael Citro each knocked in a pair in the victory.

On defense, almost every Royal contributed.  Led on the left side by Andrew Miller (2 runners caught stealing, another picked off, and several other solid plays) and Alex Uy (double play and a running catch in shallow left to end the game), the right side also had its share of hot plays (Mike Miller's scoop on the aforementioned double play, Daniel Gutierrez' diving stop down the line followed by a clean throw to first.)  Behind the plate, both catchers threw a runner out (Gutierrez and Addis), and Addis added a 2-1-5 back pick for good measure.  Rookie Gabe Sgambati also got in on the fun, running down a few line drives in left to squash some rallies.

This was one of the best games the Royals have played since coming back into the league in 2024, and they look to keep the momentum going next week as they face the Threshers at 10am at College of the Canyons.

What started as a new rivalry finished without anyone caring what the final score was.  The Royals and Orioles battled in a seesaw game, but the heat impacted multiple players and an umpire, leading to the game ending after only 4 1/2 innings and emergency services called.  Thankfully, after a scary 60 minutes and the help of paramedics, fire personnel and a doctor (who plays in the league), everyone walked away from the field alive.

In the game, Kyle Tanaka took the hill for the Royals and was rudely greeted by the Orioles.  After 5 quick hits, the Royals trailed 4-0 before they even got to bat.  Tanaka settled down and worked 2 quiet innings before handing the ball off to rookie Gabe Sgambati.  The Orioles weren't any nicer to the rookie, scoring the first 2 batter he faced.  In his second inning, they did the same, then loaded the bases with no outs, but Sgambati struck out a pair and got out without further damage.

At the plate, the Royals scored 2 in the 3rd and 5 in the 4th, led by 2025 All Star Eric Addis, who went 3 for 3 with an rbi and a pair of runs scored.  Zeke Guzman had 2 hits, Gabe Sgambati got his first hit (and run scored and 2 rbis) as a Royal, and Andrew Miller swiped a pair of bags.

With the game very much up in the air and multiple people requiring actual medical attention, the two teams agreed to call it a tie.  In the end, the results and the stats feel rather insignificant - what matters is that the guys we come to play with (and have officiate us) every week will be out there again next week.  Both teams showed enormous character in the face of ACTUAL adversity, supporting each other without hesitation in a real life situation none of us ever imagined we'd be in.  It makes me incredibly proud to be part of this league.

Next week, the Royals face the Soldiers at 10am at El Cariso Park.

Even with a 1-16-1 record, the Spring 2025 Royals made strides over their 0-17 Spring 2024 record.  The pitching staff was much improved, with rookie Kyle Tanaka taking home the Cy Young and leading the team in innings (35) and strikeouts (35).  Gabe Sherman led in ERA (6.43), and Andrew Miller led with the lowest batting average against (.246).  On offense, Jake Romo's big final weekend secured him the team MVP, awhile also leading in RBIs (14) and stolen bases (14.)  Romo and Zeke Guzman tied for the lead in home runs (2), while Guzman also led in runs scored (13).  Michael Citro led in hits (16), Eric Addis led in slugging (.652) and Luis Valencia won the batting title (.419).

The Royals will be back in the fall with a handful of new faces joining a solid core, looking to get back into the postseason.

While the Bats may have swept the final doubleheader of the season, the Royals ended on a high note, hitting 5 home runs on the day and scoring a combined 15 runs on 26 hits.

Game 1 was much like the first meeting between the 2 teams, with the Royals holding the lead into the 7th inning before the Bats league-leading offense came through.  Kyle Tanaka pitched 5 innings, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3.  Jake Romo pitched a perfect 6th before the Bats hit around in the 7th.  In total, he allowed 9 earned over 3 innings on 10 hits and 4 walks, striking out 1.  Offensively, Zeke Guzman led the way with 3 hits and 4 rbis, including 2 home runs from the left side (he's normally a right-handed batter.)  Mike Miller also had 3 hits, while both Michael Citro and Jake Romo hit home runs in the loss.

Game 2 started sloppy on defense.  Mike Miller took the hill and went 3 innings, allowing only 1 earned (but 6 total runs) on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 1.  Rookie hurler Luc Bassi came in next and looked great for not playing organized ball in a decade.  He went 4 innings, allowing 9 earned on 8 hits and 7 walks (many on full counts), striking out 1.  Veteran Luis Valencia finished the last inning, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 1 strikeout.  Offensively, it was Jake Romo's game.  He went 2 for 3 with a double and a grand slam, knocking in 6 runs.  Miller, Guzman, Citro and Valencia each had 2 hits in the loss.

Next weekend, the Royals are proud to send Eric Addis and Oliver Lopez to represent them at the AA All Star Game.  Congrats guys

The Doinks and Dingers took care of business Sunday, sweeping the double header and eliminating the Royals from playoff contention for the second summer in a row.

The Royals bats were mostly quiet all day.  Michael Citro led the way with 4 hits, and Nick Perez and Luis Valencia each had 3.  No other Royal had more than 1 hit.

On the mound, the Royal's shaky defense paired with some fun Sylmar field hops made things challenging, as pitchers had to throw extra outs in 90+ degree heat.  Kyle Tanaka, Mike Miller, Cameron Chavarria, Jake Romo, Luis Valencia and Eric Addis added up to throw 11 innings, striking out 14 while allowing 26 earned runs (and 8 more unearned runs) on 31 hits.

After a week off for Independence Day, the Royals finish the regular season with their 4th doubleheader of the year - this time against The Bats at Verdugo Hills High School, 9:45am and 1:30pm.

The Threshers came out strong on Sunday, putting up 16 runs on 18 hits.  Making the day extra special, 4 Royals went down with injuries in the loss.

Eric Addis continues to swing the hottest bat, going 1 for 1 with a pair of walks and a double that turned into a Little League home run.  Nick Perez had 2 hits, Jake Romo had a 2-run triple and John Stradling had a single.  That was the entirety of the Royals' offense on Sunday.

For the first 6 innings, the Royals kept things within reach with Kyle Tanaka (3 innings, 6 runs/4 earned, 7 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts) and Mike Miller (3 innings, 5 runs/2 earned, 5 hits, 2 walks.)  But with most of their team sitting out injured, Miller went back for the 7th and the Threshers were ready for him, finishing things off with 5 runs on 6 hits and a walk in the final frame.

Next week, the Royals put their season on the line with a doubledip against the Doinks and Dingers (10am and 2pm at Poly High School.)

The Royals defense committed 9 errors, in route to a 17-1 loss to the Rangers.  Kyle Tanaka pitched far better than the score showed, as he only allowed 5 earned runs (but 13 total runs) over 10 hits and 1 walk in 5 innings.  The Rangers played through the mercy, and the Royals only allowed 4 runs over their final 3 innings.

Offensively, the Royals weren't much better.  After getting 4 hits and a run over the first 2 innings, they had only 1 hit the remaining 7 frames.  Mike Miller led the team reaching base all 3 of his plate appearances (including a scary hit by pitch in the helmet), and Eric Addis reached base 3 of his 4 plate appearances.  Jake Romo scored the only run, and swiped a pair of bags.

Next week, the Royals face the Threshers at Sylmar High School in a rare 2pm start time.

The Royals finally broke into the win column, coming back to down the Soldiers 14-10 in the first game of a split doubleheader.  A 12-run 6th inning that saw every Royal either score a run or knock one in was the magic moment!

Oliver Lopez, Jake Romo and Luis Valencia had 2 hits a piece, while Eric Addis and Mike Miller reached base in all 8 of their combined plate appearances.  Addis led the team with 3 runs scored, while Nick Perez had 3 rbis.  On the mound, Kyle Tanaka continues to improve, as he worked 5 solid innings before letting in his first earned run of the day in the 6th (unfortunately, the defense allowed 6 unearned runs while he was throwing.)  Andrew Miller came in and pitched 2 innings to vulture the win.

Game 2 saw the Royals face off with the Threshers.  The fatigue showed in the first, as they allowed 10 runs.  But in the bottom of the frame, they responded with 7 of their own before a contested call (and subsequent protest) put this game on ice for the moment.  More to come...

After 2 promising games, the Royals offense took a step backwards Sunday as they fell to the Jokers 10-4.  They left 9 on base (including the bases loaded in the 2nd), and couldn't get the big hit when they needed (2 for 10 with runners in scoring position.)

Eric Addis continued his hot hitting, going 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles.  Zeke Guzman had 2 hits, while Nick Perez, Giovanni Smith and Andrew Miller had the only other base knocks.

On the hill, Kyle Tanaka pitched 4 solid innings before losing his command in the 5th.  He struck out 2 and spread 6 hits over the outing, allowing 7 runs (5 earned) (3 of those runs came in his final inning.)  Mike Miller relieved and put together a vintage outing, throwing 33 pitches over 4 innings, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits while striking out a pair.

Next week, the Royals play a split doubleheader at Poly High School - 8:30am vs the Soldiers and 12:00pm vs the Threshers.