Bobby Witt Jr. drops 2-word reaction after Royals debutant impresses in Cole Ragans’ absence

The Kansas City Royals were without their All-Star ace Cole Ragans for the second of the series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. The Royals replaced Ragans with an MLB debuntant for the clash.

The Royals handed 25-year-old Noah Cameron his MLB debut on Wednesday and the childhood Royals fan, who once received a wave from Zack Greinke in his rookie year nearly two decades ago, exceeded expectations from the mound.

Cameron pitched six scoreless innings on his first major league outing with his no-hitter bid ending in the seventh. Following his stellar debut, Royals All-Star Bobby Witt Jr. dropped a two-word reaction on Instagram.

"Do it," Witt Jr. captioned his story.

Noah Cameron was selected by the American League team in the seventh round of the MLB draft in 2021. Although his no-hitter ended in seventh inning, the 25-year-old was proud of his outing.

“You can’t put it into words,” Cameron said. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed about, especially with this team. And it’s just crazy. Not what you’d expect, but I’m glad to get out of there with what happened. You just can’t make it up.”

Royals debutant shares 'special' feeling of representing boyhood team

Noah Cameron threw 79 pitches for three strikes in 6.1 innings pitched. He was just eight outs away from becoming the first MLB debuntant to register a no-hitter since Bumpus Jones in 1892.

Royals manager manager Matt Quatraro, who watched on from the dugout as Cameron held his own from the mound, thought he young starter was going all the way.

“I thought he was going to do it,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “The pitch count was really manageable. ... We know he throws strikes, and he was challenging guys. He had a good mix. Just really impressive.”

Cameron received a standing ovation from the crowd and although it wasn't at the Kauffman Stadium, a place he grew around, it was still a special feeling for the debutant.

“It just hits home,” Cameron said. “Even coming out of the game, hearing a ‘Let’s go Royals,’ chant here. They’re going crazy. I know they’re going crazy at home, too. It’s awesome to be able to represent us. It’s special.”

Noah Cameron is likely to receive a similar ovation when he makes his first start at The K for his hometown ballclub.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash