Seth Lugo reaches career milestone in Kansas City Royals victory over the Dodgers

Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo will always remember Saturday’s game at Dodger Stadium.

It was the night he earned his 50th career win — and his first time reaching 10 wins in a season as an MLB pitcher.

“It feels great,” Lugo said. “You know, I never got to 10 in the big leagues or the minors. So getting to 10 was really cool. I was waiting for that one.”

Lugo added another quality start against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He allowed two earned runs across six innings. He threw 98 pitches (63 strikes) and recorded four strikeouts.

With the victory, Lugo is now tied with Philadelphia Phillies ace Ranger Suarez for the most wins in the majors. He also sports a 2.40 ERA, which ranks fourth among American League pitchers this season.

“He gave us a really good chance,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I mean, two runs in six innings against that team is an exceptional job. To keep going out, especially after that long inning, and put up the zero — he was sitting there for a long time. That was a huge inning for us.”

This season, Lugo has revitalized his career. He has settled in as a front-line starter alongside Royals southpaw Cole Ragans. The duo has been dynamic and could receive All-Star recognition.

Lugo leads the American League in multiple categories. He is first in wins and innings pitched (97.1). Meanwhile, Ragans has 102 strikeouts, which ranks second in the league.

The Royals continue to find ways to win behind Lugo. KC has won 10 of his 15 starts and continues to play well this season.

Lugo earned his third quality start as the Dodgers only scored in the fourth inning. Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux hit a two-run single with the bases loaded. It represented the lone offense against Lugo.

“I thought it went pretty well,” Lugo said. “You know, I executed most of my pitches so I was happy with that. I felt like I kept them off-balance well. Yeah, I’m happy we got the win.”

The Royals relied on the long ball against the Dodgers. Royals outfielder MJ Melendez hit a grand slam as KC picked up its 41st victory of the season.

“Clearly, we are not going to where we are without him pitching as well as he has,” Quatraro said. “So, complete team effort, and that’s what he thinks is important as well.”