How the KC Royals’ bullpen became a strength, and why the ‘opener’ may be seen again

A bullpen can often be the loneliest place in a stadium. It’s typically nestled behind the outfield wall and secluded from the hustle and bustle of on-field action.

Ask any MLB reliever and they know the drill. The walk down a drab, colorless tunnel can be daunting to the best of them. The air pressure tightens with each passing minute. That pit in the stomach growls with anticipation.

The game decides each day’s job assignments. And they’re relayed with a phone call.

“When you are coming out of the bullpen, every time that phone rings, you get a spark of adrenaline,” Royals reliever Josh Taylor said.

The adrenaline effect

Adrenaline can be a double-edged sword. The Royals discovered that in April after a slow start to the season.

Their pitching staff struggled with a 5.49 ERA through 29 games. Things weren’t clicking and at least several players knew it.

“I think in this game you put too much pressure on yourself sometimes,” reliever Amir Garrett said. “Baseball is already hard, but the extra pressure you put on yourself makes it harder.”

So the Royals went back to the basics. The pitching staff reinforced a spring training mantra: “pass the baton.” They also resolved to keep the mood in the bullpen as light-hearted as possible. Observers of late might note a mix of fun moments and jokes during games.

The principle is simple: Stay loose and keep grinding.

“The first month doesn’t necessarily define you as a team,” closer Scott Barlow said. “It’s about finding that groove and finding who we are as a team. (We try) to replicate that game to game.”

This month, the Royals’ bullpen appears to have turned the proverbial corner. Roles are defined and productivity is building.

Barlow provides a good example. He has a career-high 32.3 strikeout percentage. He is throwing first-pitch strikes at a 62.9% clip. He has recorded at least two strikeouts in seven of his last nine appearances.

Meanwhile, xetup man Aroldis Chapman has reverted to form — in a good way. Prior to giving up three runs against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, Chapman had a 1.74 ERA in April. He held opponents to a .158 batting average during that stretch.

Raiding the zone

Chapman is one of several KC relievers who’ve embraced a “raid the zone” motto this season. He has a 47.8 swing percentage and 48.3% of his pitches have landed inside the strike zone — among the best metrics he’s posted since his 2020 season with the New York Yankees.

“First-pitch strikes have been a big thing,” Barlow said.

Additionally, Garrett has a 1.08 road ERA and teammate Taylor Clarke has nine strikeouts and just one walk in four May appearances.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro lauded the bullpen for stepping up.

“A lot of strikes,” Quatraro said. “The more they are in the zone, the better it is. One thing I really liked with the results is the pitch efficiency.”

The Royals have experimented with utilizing an “opener” to start games. Royals reliever Josh Taylor started Friday’s series opener at the Milwaukee Brewers. He recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless inning of work.

“I treated it like every other outing,” Taylor said. “Obviously, it’s the start of the game and I went down to the bullpen and warmed up like normal. I warmed up in the top of the inning and tried to keep it as normal as possible. I felt fine about it.”

Royals reliever Max Castillo followed and pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief. His appearance went well, too, and Quatraro said starting an opener will remain an option.

“We will consider an opener whenever we think it’s advantageous to us and (taking into consideration) the pitcher that is scheduled for that night,” Quatraro said.

With a 12-29 record after Saturday night’s 4-3 loss at Milwaukee, the Royals are keen on improving daily. And the relievers in their bullpen have made strides.

Chemistry is important in their line of work, and the Royals seem to have locked into that, too.

“A good bullpen is like a goldfish: short memory,” Royals right-hander Josh Staumont said. “It’s one of those things where you have to flush whatever happened the day before. Take as much as you can productive-wise and move forward.”