Royals 14, Cardinals 6: Witt Homers Before Exit, Five Doubles in Second

The lead

June 18, 2026 - Kansas City - Bobby Witt Jr. homered before leaving with a sore right knee, Salvador Perez went deep for his 137th homer at Kauffman Stadium, and the Kansas City Royals set a club record with five doubles in one inning during a 14-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, per the Associated Press recap on CBS Sports.

Kansas City topped the Thursday slate at 28 team FP in AthX Engine scoring.

How the game turned

Witt homered in the first and delivered an RBI single in the second before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth after a sliding stop at shortstop. The Royals built a 7-2 lead in the second on five doubles, a team record for one inning.

Jac Caglianone hit a two-run homer in the fourth for his ninth of the season. Each of the first eight batters in the starting lineup had at least one RBI.

Pitching and matchup notes

Noah Cameron (4-4) allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits in five innings. Matthew Liberatore (3-4) was charged with seven runs (five earned) in 1⅔ innings.

The Royals set season highs with 14 runs and 17 hits. Perez's sixth-inning homer was the most ever hit at Kauffman Stadium by one player.

Bats that changed the board

Perez's 10 FP and Witt's early homer paced the offense. AthX Engine graded Kansas City at 28 team FP, the daily team lead.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

AthX Engine rewards lineup-wide production on nights every starter chips in. A 14-run outburst with multiple extra-base hits registers at the top of the team board, separate from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

Seth Lugo returned to the Royals rotation Friday after seven days on the concussion injured list. The Cardinals sent Michael McGreevy in the second game of the series.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, CBS Sports/AP recap, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*