The Royals defeated the Braves on Sunday.
The Kansas City Royals defeated the Atlanta Braves by a final score of 4-1 on Sunday, earning their first win of the 2026 MLB season as a result. Seth Lugo led the way on the mound, as he turned in 6.1 innings of shutout baseball. He added three strikeouts and surrendered five hits.
Lugo technically threw nine different pitches during the game. Seven of those pitches he threw between 18 percent and 12 percent of the time. In other words, he mixed pitches well.
Lugo does not throw especially hard. He threw his fastball the most at 18 percent of the time, but his curveball (17 percent) and sinker (16 percent) were right behind it. He did not get much in the way of swing and miss, but Lugo was able to keep runners from scoring.
Eight of his pitches resulted in hard hits. He threw plenty of strikes. Lugo simply found ways to get batters out throughout the contest.
It was only his first start of the year, but it was an important outing for the right-handed hurler. Lugo struggled in 2025, pitching to a 4.15 ERA across 26 starts. In 2024, however, Lugo was an All-Star who finished second in American League Cy Young voting after recording a 3.00 ERA and a league leading 33 starts.
Seth Lugo Proving He Can Still Pitch at a High Level
At 36 years old, some may have wondered if Lugo was declining given his performance last year. Many pitchers begin to take steps back in their mid-30's. Lugo, though, proved that he can still get the job done at a high level with his starts on Sunday. Shutting down the talented Braves lineup is not a simple task.
With that being said, it was only one start. He still needs to find consistency moving forward. Sunday's outing was a reminder of how good he can be when he is going right, though. He does not dominate on the mound, but Lugo is a pitcher who finds ways to get success.
Most importantly, Lugo led the Royals to their first victory of the new campaign. Kansas City will look to build off of the momentum moving forward following the impressive win.
Up next for the Royals is their home opener against the Minnesota Twins. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 PM EST in what should be a competitive American League Central clash.