Colton Cowser ‘yeeted’ a ball into the fountains on Saturday. He homered into them on Sunday

KANSAS CITY — It takes only two minutes for a ball to sink to the bottom of the fountains at Kauffman Stadium — at least that’s what stadium employees told Colton Cowser.

It took only two minutes for Cowser and his teammate Jordan Westburg to sink the Royals on Sunday.

Cowser and Westburg hit back-to-back solo homers in the third inning of the Orioles’ series finale in Kansas City, going a combined 866 feet off righty Seth Lugo, while Cole Irvin tossed 6 2/3 scoreless in a 5-0 win.

This was the second time in 24 hours Cowser landed a ball in the fountains, though the first time was the subject of much consternation — and hilarity.

After catching the final out of Saturday’s 9-7 win, Cowser “yeeted” the ball over his head, without realizing it held special significance to his team’s closer. The save Craig Kimbrel earned that night was the 422nd of his career, vaulting him into a tie with Hall-of-Fame hopeful Billy Wagner for seventh all time.

“Right when I threw it, I said, ‘Craig has a lot of saves, that one might’ve been important,’” Cowser said after Saturday’s game. “I literally told [Cedric Mullins], I said, ‘I might’ve messed up.’ And turns out I did.”

The outfielder was forced to sprint back to the concourse and ask someone to retrieve the ball from the fountains. He was successful, returning the ball to Kimbrel’s locker, where it sat in a Tupperware container full of rice, drying out.

“I was the one who put it there,” an embarrassed Cowser said following Sunday’s win. “I still feel terrible about what happened yesterday. I’ve apologized to Craig so much.”

“We prefer him hitting one into the fountain instead of throwing one in the fountain,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Everybody noticed that right away.”

Cowser has no desire to retrieve his own home run ball from the fountains.

“That one deserves to stay down there after what happened yesterday,” he said.

Sunday’s splashdown was fished out not long after it rocketed into the water beyond the right-center field wall at 111.5 mph for Cowser’s fifth homer of the season. Two pitches later, Westburg came within about a foot of dunking his own 433-foot blast into the fountains in left field. Wet or dry, it counted for a run all the same, and the Orioles took a 2-0 lead.

Both former top prospects have jumped out to torrid starts — Cowser came into the game with a 1.154 on-base-plus-slugging percentage; Westburg, a .939. The pair combined for three hits, two walks and three RBIs Sunday.

“Both swinging the bat extremely well,” Hyde said. “Got on Lugo’s heater there. Westy with an extra-base hit, just playing really good baseball right now. ... Colton’s swinging the bat great, so really happy for both guys.”

Irvin, meanwhile, delivered his best outing as an Oriole, allowing four hits and striking out two in his longest start since Sept. 17, 2022, when he was a member of the Oakland Athletics. Irvin didn’t miss many bats — he induced only four whiffs, according to Statcast — but held the Royals without an extra-base hit after Bobby Witt Jr.’s double in the first inning.

“That was definitely the best start he’s had since we got him last year,” Hyde said. “Just the way he changed speeds, moved the ball around, pitched to contact. We played well defensively behind him. He was working ahead in the count. For me, that was probably his best changeup he’s had since he’s been here. That was the start we needed.”

“I’ve gotten really caught up in just kind of velocity and trying to do all that, and today I was just like, ‘Throw all that out the door.’ Just execute as many pitches as I could,” Irvin said.

Irvin said it was refreshing to pitch into the seventh inning for the first time this season.

“I know I’m capable of doing that every time I go out,”

After allowing 10 combined earned runs in the first two games of the series, the bullpen skirted through the final 2 1/3 innings causing only minor heart palpitations. Jacob Webb got the final out of the seventh before being relieved by Danny Coulombe with one out and one on in the eighth. The lefty allowed a single to Vinnie Pasquantino but struck out Salvador Perez and Nelson Velázquez to keep the Royals off the scoreboard.

Kimbrel did not get the chance to pass his former teammate Wagner, as Dillon Tate got the ball for the final frame in a non-save situation. Kansas City went quietly in the ninth inning.

“It was nice to see the bullpen lock it down there,” Hyde said. “We’ve got some guys kinda going in and out right now a little bit. We’re trying to find the right spots for guys and try to get some guys some confidence. [We’re] scuffling a little bit.”

The O’s padded the lead in the sixth, sending eight runners to the plate and scoring twice. After Anthony Santander smacked his first triple of the year, Ryan Mountcastle doubled him home on a fly ball to left. Three batters later, the first baseman came home on a Westburg bases-loaded walk, pushing the O’s advantage to 4-0.

Another run came in the ninth, when a Ramón Urías infield single brought in Adley Rutschman.

It was the first shutout win of the year for the Orioles, who improved to 14-7 and took their season series over the Royals 4-2.

Paul Mancano

Paul.Mancano@thebaltimorebanner.com

Audience engagement editor, sports, at The Baltimore Banner.

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