McBroom isn’t a home grown product but the Royals did draft him in the 36th round in 2013.  He didn’t sign and was drafted by the Blue Jays the next summer.

McBroom made his MLB Debut on September 3 against the Detroit Tigers in Kansas City.  The first pitcher he faced was Tigers LHP Daniel Norris.  The first pitch McBroom saw was a 93 mph fastball down the middle which he took for a strike.  He saw his first big league breaking ball the following pitch when Norris bounced a curve.  With a 2-1 count, McBroom took his first swing in the majors fouling off another 93 mph fastball that was up and away.  After a 2-2 curve away running the count full, McBroom lined a 91 mph fastball that was up and away into right center field for his first major league hit.  The ball was thrown back into the infield and to Tigers first baseman Jeimer Candelario.  Candelario then turned around and offered it to McBroom who was standing on first base.  The two shared a laugh as the ball boy took possession of the ball for McBroom’s trophy case.

In the bottom of the third inning, Jorge Soler hit a bomb into the fountains in left field.  It was Soler’s 39th home run of the season and broke the Royals single season record.  In contrast to their policies, the Royals had a fishing net ready to fish the ball out of the water in case something like this happened.  A Royals employee quickly took possession of the ball breaking the sacrosanct fountain law.

McBroom will forever be able to say he got his first major league start and hit in the game that Jorge Soler broke the Royals single season home run record.  McBroom’s second at bat was against RHP Drew VerHagen.  The first pitch he saw was an 81 mph slider for a strike.  The next pitch was 92 up and away for strike two making the count 0-2.  The next pitch turned into a 5-4-3 double play.

In his third at bat, McBroom came up with 2 outs and Jorge Soler on first base.  Verhagen was still on the mound and started him off with a slider for strike one.  McBroom swung through another slider making it 0-2 again.  After laying off another slider, McBroom took a two-seam fastball for strike three the ran back to the outside corner.

In his fourth at bat, McBroom came up with runners on first and third in a tie game.  He fouled the first pitch off from Gregory Soto.  Then he just missed a 96 mph fastball away making the count 0-2.  The next pitch just missed the inside corner.  The 1-2 fastball was wild allowing Soler to score from third and giving the Royals the lead.  With the runner now on second, McBroom went back to work trying to extend the Royals lead.  After another fastball missed, McBroom took a slider in the dirt for ball four.

The Royals ended up winning in the bottom of the ninth when Ryan O’Hearn hit a solo home run to left center.  McBroom ended up going 1 for 3 with his first major league hit and first major league walk.  He witnessed Soler hit his 39th home run of the season, and was part of a walk off winner.  Not a bad first day in the majors.

Image by Ryan Castle from MiLB.com.