This lights-out Royals debut further proof KC won trade deadline deal with Padres

Amid a difficult weekend home series against the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers, Kansas City turned to Stephen Kolek in his Royals debut to help right the wrongs of Friday night and get them back in the win column amid a tightly contested AL Wild Card race.

Not only did Kolek aid in the Royals 3-1 victory over their division rivals on Saturday, he was argubaly the biggest reason as to why this was the case.

Sure Bobby Witt Jr. launched the go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth that broke the 1-1 deadlock, but it was Kolek who kept the Tigers’ bats at bay and ensured Witt had that opportunity to put his team on top.

And with such a masterclass on the mound, Kolek added further proof that their trade deadline deal to acquire was a worthwhile one to make.

Stephen Kolek adds further proof the Royals made right move with Padres at trade deadline

The Royals acquired Stephen Kolek along with Ryan Bergert on trade deadline day from the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Freddy Fermin.

Now, a majority of the pieces in that deal have already had a chance to make their impressions with the new major league squad.

Bergert has looked excellent since making his Royals debut. In 28.1 innings across five starts with Kansas City, the 25-year-old rookie has pitched to the tune of a 2.54 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and .200 BAA.

Meanwhile, the Padres appeared to get the best version of Fermin in the opening weeks after the trade but have since discovered the harsh reality of his offensive limitations. Fermin has come back down to earth and holds just a .613 OPS and 75 wRC+ in San Diego.

However, until Kolek got his shot with the Royals at the major league level with Kansas City, full conclusions on this trade could not yet be made.

On Friday though, the Royals announced that Kolek would indeed be getting his break with the team after Michael Wacha was placed on the paternity list. In 6.0 innings of work at Kauffman Stadium Saturday evening, Kolek surrendered just one earned run off four hits, no walks and struck out three.

And while one start is far from warranting a complete verdict on this deal, it does certainly serve as proof that the Royals are the early winners of this trade.

Now, Kolek has already proved himself to be a decent major league arm, throwing to a 4.18 ERA in 79.2 innings with the Padres in 14 starts before the trade. However, after a lackluster 6.63 ERA, 2.11 WHIP and .357 BAA in 19.0 innings across five starts in Triple-A Omaha, it was fair for Royals fans to worry whether or not Kolek would just be another depth piece rather than a useful major league arm for them.

But Saturday quelled a lot of those doubts, even if it was just his first game with the Royals.