KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Maybe the homegrown ace was here all along. Maybe the pitcher so long coveted by this Royals franchise has finally arrived.
That was but just one takeaway on Thursday night as Danny Duffy silenced the Chicago White Sox for nine innings in a 2-1 victory at Kauffman Stadium.
Banished to the bullpen when the season began, Duffy has emerged with a vengeance, tossing up sensational performances for the better part of two months. On Thursday, the White Sox became the latest victim.
In the first complete game of his career, Duffy scattered seven hits while finishing with six strikeouts and zero walks. He lowered his ERA to 2.82 while improving to 9-1 on the season. He needed just 98 pitches, becoming the first Royals pitcher to go the distance in the regular season since Johnny Cueto last summer.
In the process, Duffy has emerged as something like a dark horse Cy Young candidate. In the end, he may not have enough innings to compete for the honor. But for now, his numbers speak for themselves.
The Royals (55-59) won their second straight series. They won despite collecting just four hits and two runs against the White Sox pitching staff.
Both runs came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert tied the score at 1-1 with a triple into the right-center gap. First baseman Eric Hosmer pushed Kansas City ahead with a soft single into shallow left field.
The rest of the night belonged to Duffy.
Before the 2016 season, Danny Duffy had logged eight innings in a start just once in his career. In the last six weeks, he has done it four times. Before the 2016 season, Duffy flashed immense promise while never quite putting it together. In the last six weeks, he has appeared in complete control.
Two starts ago, Duffy set the Royals' single-game strikeout record with 16 Ks against the Tampa Bay Rays.On Thursday, he added another mark to his ledger _ nine innings of brilliance against a division rival.
