Pitcher Kris Bubic's career night powers Royals to 2-0 shutout of White Sox

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Apr 10, 2026

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals pitcher Kris Bubic had a special night at the office.

The left-handed starter was in rare form against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium on Friday night, setting a career high with 11 strikeouts in the Royals’ 2-0 victory.

Bubic didn’t need much run support. He was in control from the first pitch, dominating the Chicago lineup with a mix of pitches.

He recorded 45 swings and 17 whiffs across seven innings, pounding the strike zone with his four-seam fastball. He got hitters to chase his sweeper and slider, and the off-speed pitches were effective to all four quadrants of the plate.

The White Sox (5-9) managed just two hits against Bubic. Lenyn Sosa recorded a leadoff double in the fifth inning and Derek Hill added a single in the sixth.

Bubic remained unfazed on the mound. He ended both innings with strikeouts to avoid significant damage.

This season, he has a 2.50 ERA in three starts. Friday’s effort tied his career-best in innings pitched, and he now has 19 strikeouts over his last 12 innings.

The Royals (6-8) snapped a three-game losing streak. The offense cobbled together two runs as Bobby Witt Jr. hit an RBI double and Carter Jensen belted his fourth homer of the year.

Witt has collected an extra-base hit in three consecutive days. He entered the home series with just one extra-base this season.

Jensen didn’t miss a 90.9-mph cutter from White Sox starter Davis Martin in the seventh. Sporting the club’s new City Connect uniform, he went deep over the right-field fence. It was his team-leading fourth homer of the season.

Martin allowed two earned runs in seven innings and suffered his first loss.

Bubic turned things over to the bullpen late. Royals relievers Matt Strahm and Lucas Erceg pitched scoreless frames to preserve the shutout. Erceg earned his fourth save in the closer’s role.

What’s next?

Royals right-hander Michael Wacha will start on Saturday afternoon against the White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. He’ll oppose veteran right-hander Erick Fedde (0-2, 4.09 ERA). First pitch is set for 3:10 p.m. Central Time.