Mike Trout, Ronald Acuna Jr., J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Justin Turner, Bryce Harper and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Some of the biggest names in baseball, but MLB's elite hitters have taken a backseat to Yermin Mercedes.
Unheralded Chicago White Sox rookie Mercedes is the batting leader through 19 games – his .414 average setting the tone.
It is a case of perseverance and determination when it comes to the big-hitting 28-year-old from the Dominican Republic.
Involved in professional baseball for a decade, Mercedes is taking the majors by storm following his long road to the top, but can he sustain it?
Started from the bottom, now we're here
If you look at the career of Mercedes, few could have anticipated the red-hot start to his first season.
Signed by the Washington Nationals as an 18-year-old international free agent in 2011, Mercedes bounced between the Nats, Baltimore Orioles, Dominican league and independent league before the White Sox took him in the 2017 minor league Rule 5 draft.
A hitting machine in the minors, Mercedes combined to hit 23 homers across two teams at Triple-A level in 2019, including 17 home runs for Charlotte with a 1.033 on-base slugging percentage (OPS).
Those exploits earned an invitation to the White Sox's alternate site last season as Mercedes made his MLB debut with an at-bat during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign in August.
Mercedes could have easily given up on his dream, but he has not looked back since he was a late addition to the White Sox's 26-man Opening Day roster – a team with eyes on their first World Series ring since 2005.
According to Stats Perform, Mercedes joined Washington's Cecil Travis (1933) as the only MLB players in the modern era to have five hits in their first career start.
With patience continuing to pay off, he also became the first player since at least 1900 to begin a season with eight straight hits.
Mercedes also tops the leaderboard for longest home run of the season – his crushing 485-foot bomb against the Kansas City Royals the franchise's longest regular-season homer in the Statcast era (since 2015). Overall, it was the second longest blast since 2015, behind only Luis Robert's monster 487-foot in last season's playoffs.
New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton is next best at 471 feet.
"I just want to cry every time when I see I'm in the majors right now. I just want to cry because it's a long time," Mercedes said. "I've got a big history.
"It's about time, but it's hard for me because just looking around, I'm like, 'It's real. I'm here'. I know when it was a couple years ago, I said, 'What am I going to do? What's going to happen with me?' I just said, 'God, when am I going to be in the majors? What do I need to do?' Because all the time, all my years, I put up my numbers, do the best of myself."
History-making rookie on the right path
There is no stopping Mercedes, whose meteoric rise through the first month of the season netted him his own burger – 'The Yerminator' at Fabulous Freddies, where they honoured the designated hitter on their menu.
The last rookie to win his league's batting title (American League or National League) was Seattle Mariners great Ichiro Suzuki (.350) in 2001. Only two rookies have done that in the live-ball era (since 1920), Tony Oliva (.323 with the Minnesota Twins in 1964) being the other. Mercedes – through 19 games in 2021 – is above that mark at the moment. Whether he maintains that figure is another story.
When it comes to hits, Mercedes has tallied 29 in 70 at-bats this season. The last rookie to lead his league (AL or NL) in hits in a season was also Ichiro, who topped the American League with 242 hits in 2001.
Mercedes is only the second player to have a .400-plus batting average and 15-plus RBI over his first 20 career games since RBI became an official stat in 1920, along with Atlanta's Jeff Francoeur in 2005. Francoeur recorded a .406 avg and 19 RBI for the Braves in that 20-game span.
Francoeur was in the NL, so Mercedes is the first AL player to ever do that.
Mercedes made his debut aged 27 – only Ichiro managed more hits through 20 career games in the expansion era (since 1961). Coco Laboy, like Mercedes, also registered 29 hits for the Montreal Expos in 1969.
"A couple months ago, I wouldn't have believed that I would be at this point right now," said Mercedes. "I'm surprised. So I'm so excited for that. I never imagined I would be here. Now we're here, keep going. Don't put the head down. Just keep doing what I'm doing every day to keep it at that point.
"That's great for me, I'm feeling great, feeling nice because I'm with my people, with my fans and with everybody. So I'm excited for that."
While the season is still young, it feels like this is just the tip of the iceberg for Mercedes, who is seizing his opportunity after years battling away outside the majors. Enjoy the ride.
Shohei Ohtani could not ignore his "terrible" first inning during an historic game for the Los Angeles Angels against the Texas Rangers.
Two-way star Ohtani became the first player for nearly 100 years to start a game on the mound while also entering the day leading MLB in home runs.
The last to do so was New York Yankees great and Hall of Famer Babe Ruth back in 1921.
Ohtani, who picked up his first win since May 2018, went two-for-three with two RBIs and three runs scored in Monday's 9-4 victory in Arlington.
He also became the first player to have at least two hits and three runs scored plus nine strikeouts since Luis Tiant for the Cleveland Indians back in 1961.
However, a difficult opening inning, in which he gave up four runs and a homer to Nate Lowe, was foremost in Ohtani's mind after the win.
"I'm happy for the team victory and my team-mates gave me a lot of run support, which led to confidence," he said.
"But personally, that first inning was terrible, so I can't be fully satisfied. I think it's mechanics, more than anything. And I felt like my mechanics were better from the second inning on.
"I try to separate pitching and hitting while I'm doing both, but putting those runs on the board does lead to confidence. But that first inning I had, I need to not repeat that again, and I need to adjust and work on that before my next outing."
Ohtani was pulled after 75 pitches amid concerns about a blister on his right middle finger, but the Japanese star does not think it a major problem.
"I'm not worried at all," Ohtani said. "It's different from my last one and was barely starting to form. I felt like I could've gone another inning."
Julian Nagelsmann is to become the new Bayern Munich head coach and has agreed a five-year contract beginning on July 1, the Bundesliga club announced on Tuesday.
Julian Nagelsmann is to become the new Bayern Munich head coach and has agreed a five-year contract beginning on July 1, the Bundesliga club announced on Tuesday.
Bayern, who are on the verge of a ninth successive Bundesliga title, have agreed to terminate the contract of Hansi Flick, who informed the club he did not want to stay in charge beyond this season.
"Julian Nagelsmann represents a new generation of coaches," Bayern president Herbert Hainer said in a statement.
"Despite his young age, he has had an impressive career. We are convinced that, with Julian Nagelsmann, we will build on the great successes of the past few years."
Talk emerged on Monday that Bayern and Nagelsmann had quickly agreed terms but that a fee to release him from his RB Leipzig contract was proving a sticking point.
According to widespread reports in Germany and Europe, an agreement has been reached between the clubs that would make Nagelsmann the world's most expensive head coach.
The Athletic indicated Bayern will pay around €20million, while further reports suggest add-ons could take the total closer to €25m.
Nagelsmann, 33, had also been linked with Tottenham after their decision to sack Jose Mourinho last week.
However, as a boyhood Bayern fan from the Bavarian town of Landsberg am Lech, the Allianz Arena has long been touted as his dream destination.
Nagelsmann, who cost Leipzig a reported €5m when he joined from Hoffenheim in 2019, has helped to establish the club as Champions League regulars and Bundesliga title challengers.
He guided them to the Champions League semi-finals last season, where they lost 3-0 to Paris Saint-Germain, and a third-place finish in the top flight.
Leipzig are comfortably second in 2020-21 but trail leaders Bayern by seven points with only three games remaining.
Flick, who has been tipped to succeed Joachim Low as head coach of Germany, leaves Bayern after delivering six trophies in under two years, including the treble last season.
Hainer said: "I would like to expressly thank Hansi Flick on behalf of FC Bayern. He took over our team in a difficult phase in 2019 and then won six titles, with the seventh hopefully following soon.
"He will always have a place in the history books of FC Bayern."
Flick said: "The past two years have been unforgettable for me.
"A coach is nothing without his team and I was lucky enough to meet fantastic players and staff here in Munich, and a team of coaches who did incredible things.
"One disappointment remains: that we weren't able to celebrate the greatest successes during this time with the fans. I've missed them in every game.
"I wish the Bayern family the very best for the future. It's not an empty phrase when I say it was a very great honour for me."
The Philadelphia 76ers got back to winning ways as Doc Rivers hailed the returning Ben Simmons and his defensive combination with Matisse Thybulle.
After losing four in a row, Philadelphia were more like their old selves in a 121-90 drubbing of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
Simmons missed the string of losses due to what he described as "a viral thing", but he returned with six-of-eight shooting, four assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Rivers is convinced Simmons and Thybulle have a big role to play in paving the way for success this season.
"I don't think I've ever had that," Rivers said of the wing defence strength.
"I've had an incredibly great defensive team... but not at those positions. It's pretty awesome to watch. Those two guys, their closing ability on shots is excellent, absolutely remarkable to watch."
Simmons looked as good as new, according to Rivers.
"He had great energy, great pace. It was Ben being Ben," said the coach. "We lose a lot of pace when he's not on the floor, that's for sure."
As for Simmons, the 24-year-old All-Star welcomed his coach's words, saying: "That means a lot. [Thybulle] has got a high IQ on the floor and it's tough for teams to score when there's two guys like that on the floor."
Simmons added: "I'm just glad to be back. I missed being with the fellas. The energy was great tonight."
The Sixers sit second in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Brooklyn Nets.
"It's going to be on us to take care of business down the stretch," Simmons said. "We've got a lot of games that are going to be all-important at this stage.
"We're looking forward to the challenge and obviously we need to get in the playoffs. I'm glad I'm back now and we have a few games left to really get that first seeding and I think we can do it.
"If everyone's healthy and able to play, I think we're able to get that. Looking forward, we've got to take control and get that first seeding."
Shohei Ohtani made more MLB history as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-4.
Angels two-way star Ohtani became the first player in almost 100 years to start a game on the mound while also entering the day leading the majors in home runs.
New York Yankees great and Hall of Famer Babe Ruth was the last to do so in 1921.
Ohtani, who picked up his first win since May 2018, went two-for-three with two RBIs and three runs scored against the Rangers, striking out nine over five innings on Monday.
He became the first American League (AL) player to reach those numbers in a game since Luis Tiant in 1967, according to Stats Perform.
"A pretty complete game of baseball," Angels manager Joe Maddon said. "If you weren't entertained by watching him tonight, you can't be entertained watching the game of baseball."
Angels star Mike Trout also made his return from an elbow injury, going four-for-five at the plate.
Posey and Giants show no mercy
Buster Posey had a two-run homer among his four hits as the San Francisco Giants crushed the Colorado Rockies 12-0. Posey also caught Anthony DeSclafani's three-hit shutout. It is the eighth time Posey has caught a shutout while having more hits himself than the entire opposing team – the most such games by any catcher in the modern era, per Stats Perform.
The Philadelphia Phillies edged the St Louis Cardinals 2-1. Zach Wheeler became the first Phillies pitcher to go eight-plus innings pitched with one hit or fewer since Cole Hamels in 2015. Wheeler gave up one hit and one run while striking out nine.
Yankees continue to struggle
The Yankees are not getting hits at the moment. The storied franchise managed just four in a 4-2 loss to AL East rivals the Baltimore Orioles. Between All-Star sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, the pair only managed two hits. The Yankees are bottom of the AL East. Baltimore have finished above the Yankees just three times in the AL East since MLB went to six divisions in 1994, doing so in 1997, 2014 and 2016.
World series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers have now suffered back-to-back defeats, upstaged 5-3 by the Cincinnati Reds after 10 innings.
Bryant slam!
Kris Bryant hit the sixth grand slam of his career – a shot off Charlie Morton in the third inning which tied the game. The Chicago Cubs still lost 8-7 to the Atlanta Braves.
Monday's results
Cincinnati Reds 5-3 Los Angeles Dodgers
Kansas City Royals 3-2 Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians 5-3 Minnesota Twins
Atlanta Braves 8-7 Chicago Cubs
Baltimore Orioles 4-2 New York Yankees
Oakland Athletics 2-1 Tampa Bay Rays
Miami Marlins 8-0 Milwaukee Brewers
Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 St Louis Cardinals
Los Angeles Angels 9-4 Texas Rangers
Houston Astros 5-2 Seattle Mariners
San Francisco Giants 12-0 Colorado Rockies
Tigers at White Sox
The Chicago White Sox (12-9) – riding a four-game winning streak – will host the Detroit Tigers (7-16) in Tuesday's series opener at Guaranteed Rate Field. Lucas Giolito is set to start for the White Sox as the Tigers counter with Jose Urena.
Will Cristiano Ronaldo still be at Juventus next season?
Ronaldo's future appears to depend on Juve's Champions League participation.
Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain loom large for the Portuguese superstar.
TOP STORY – MAN UTD OR PSG FOR RONALDO?
Cristiano Ronaldo is weighing up whether to return to Manchester United or join Paris Saint-Germain if Juventus fail to qualify for the Champions League next season, according to Tuttosport.
Ronaldo's future has dominated headlines amid speculation the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is set to leave Serie A giants Juve at the end of the current campaign.
Initially linked with Real Madrid, Ronaldo is reportedly eyeing either United or PSG in order to play in the Champions League.
ROUND-UP
- Fabrizio Romano reports RB Leipzig head coach Julian Nagelsmann is set to replace Hansi Flick at Bayern Munich. Despite interest from Tottenham and other clubs, Nagelsmann has agreed a five-year contract with the Bundesliga champions, who must negotiate a fee with Leipzig.
- Raphael Varane wants to leave Madrid amid links with Chelsea, United and PSG, claims Diario AS. The France international defender is contracted to the Santiago Bernabeu until next season but Madrid are believed to be willing to cash in on Varane as they look to fund moves for PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland, who has also been linked with Liverpool, United, Manchester City, Juve, Bayern and Barcelona.
- Manchester Evening News says United are interested in Slavia Prague's 21-year-old forward Abdallah Sima.
- The Sun reports England centre-back John Stones is in advanced talks with Premier League leaders City over a new five-year contract.
- Antonio Conte is dreaming of prising Udinese star Rodrigo De Paul to Inter, says Calciomercato. The Argentina international has also been linked with Napoli and Leeds United.
The NBA-leading Utah Jazz were upstaged by the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves for the second time in three nights, beaten 105-104 on Monday.
Utah, who lost 101-96 to the Timberwolves on Saturday, led 104-103 with 6.4 seconds remaining on the road in Minneapolis.
But the Timberwolves rallied, Ricky Rubio finding D'Angelo Russell for the layup before Jazz All-Star Mike Conley (26 points) lost the ball in a scramble on the final possession as time expired.
With the win, the Timberwolves claimed a series sweep of the Jazz – going 3-0 this season. It is the first time in NBA history a team with a win percentage below .300 swept a series of at least three games against a team with a win percentage of at least .700.
Russell posted 27 points behind a season-high seven three-pointers, star team-mate Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Anthony Edwards added 14 points for the Timberwolves (18-44) – who have the joint-second fewest victories this season.
The Jazz (44-17) are now only one game clear of the red-hot Phoenix Suns (43-18) in the Western Conference.
Phoenix closed in on Utah after snapping the New York Knicks' nine-game winning streak via a 118-110 victory.
Devin Booker fuelled the Suns by scoring 33 points, while Chris Paul (20) and Mikal Bridges (21) contributed on the road.
Spurs survive shoot-out as Westbrook closes in on record
DeMar DeRozan's 37 points and 10 assists helped the San Antonio Spurs to a 146-143 overtime win at the Washington Wizards, who lost for the first time in eight games. Not even Bradley Beal's game-high 45 points nor Russell Westbrook's league-leading 29th triple-double (22 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists) could extend Washington's streak. Westbrook now has 175 career triple-doubles, seven away from breaking Oscar Robertson's record for the most in history.
Zion Williamson showcased his efficiency as the New Orleans Pelicans upset the Los Angeles Clippers 120-103. Williamson had 23 points on eight-of-11 shooting, including a three-pointer and five assists.
The Philadelphia 76ers snapped a four-game skid thanks to their 121-90 rout of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Philadelphia had an NBA-season high 22 steals at home to the struggling Thunder, who suffered a franchise-worst tying 14th consecutive defeat. The 76ers went 0-4 in Ben Simmons' absence but the All-Star returned to have 12 points on six-of-eight shooting, four assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Double-doubles from Dennis Schroder (21 points and 10 assists) and Andre Drummond (3 points and 11 rebounds) guided defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers past the Orlando Magic 114-103. Anthony Davis had 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks for the Lakers.
Michael Porter Jr. put up 31 points as the short-handed Denver Nuggets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 120-96. MVP candidate Nikola Jokic tallied his league-leading 53rd double-double of 24 points and 15 rebounds.
Hawks struggle from beyond the arc
It was a forgettable outing for the Atlanta Hawks, who were beaten 100-86 by the lowly Detroit Pistons. Atlanta were particularly awful from three-point range, where they shot just 14.8 per cent after making only four of their 27 attempts.
The Toronto Raptors topped the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-96, but it was not the best of games from star Fred VanVleet. In 32 minutes, VanVleet was just three-of-10 shooting, making only one of five three-point attempts for eight points.
On a miserable night for the Clippers, Paul George headlined their woes. The All-Star was three-for-11 shooting, while making just one of his six three-point attempts for nine points.
Bol Bol with authority!
One of the tallest players in the NBA, Nuggets big man Bol Bol showcased his quick hands and feet en route to the basket as he finished emphatically against the Grizzlies.
Monday's results
Detroit Pistons 100-86 Atlanta Hawks
Los Angeles Lakers 114-103 Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers 121-90 Oklahoma City Thunder
San Antonio Spurs 146-143 Washington Wizards (OT)
Phoenix Suns 118-110 New York Knicks
Toronto Raptors 112-96 Cleveland Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls 110-102 Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves 105-104 Utah Jazz
New Orleans Pelicans 120-103 Los Angeles Clippers
Denver Nuggets 120-96 Memphis Grizzlies
Sacramento Kings 113-106 Dallas Mavericks
Nets at Raptors
Kevin Durant and the Eastern Conference-leading Brooklyn Nets (41-20) are on the road against the Raptors (26-35) on Tuesday.
Stefano Pioli warned Milan must not feel sorry for themselves after a 3-0 Serie A defeat at Lazio and expects them to show a strong response to dropping out of the top four.
Joaquin Correa scored twice and Ciro Immobile added a late third as Lazio boosted their chances of qualifying for the Champions League at Stadio Olimpico on Monday.
Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi was able to celebrate a 10th consecutive home victory in the top flight in his first game back on the touchline since recovering from coronavirus.
Milan, on the other hand, have suffered back-to-back defeats and are down in fifth place with five games remaining - level on points with Napoli and Juventus.
Lazio are five points behind the Rossoneri with a game in hand and Pioli has challenged his side to roll up their sleeves in the battle for a place in Europe's premier club competition following an emphatic loss against his former club.
He told Sky Italia: "I expected more from the team, we have the technical and physical qualities to do better.
"The game became complicated at 2-0 and I don't see how the tackle on Calha [Hakan Calhanoglu before Correa's second goal] could not be a foul.
"Now we have to show that we are as strong as I believe we are, we have to react immediately because this is a heavy defeat."
Asked about the size of the challenging facing his side in the quest for a Champions League spot, he replied: "The opponents are strong but we're there and we don't have to feel sorry for ourselves, we know what we have to do."
Pioli says Milan must get on the training ground and show the right mentality with so much at stake.
"There have been some tactical things that have worked or not and need to be improved," said the Milan head coach. "I know I have an intelligent team, despite being young, with great character. I expect an important reaction."
Pirlo revealed he hopes striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to return from injury against Benevento at San Siro on Saturday.
UEFA on Monday revealed the Sweden star, who signed a new one-year deal with Milan last week, is being investigated for "an alleged financial interest in a betting company".
Serie A teams who still wish to pursue the European Super League on June 21 will lose their league membership, according to a new ruling in Italy.
Italian giants Juventus, Inter and Milan signed up to the controversial breakaway competition earlier this month among 12 elite European clubs.
Proposals guaranteed participation for the dozen founding teams, who would no longer enter the Champions League.
But the anti-competitive tournament prompted outrage around the football world, and pressure from fans, players, coaches, governing bodies, governments and the media soon told.
The Premier League's 'big six' all backed out within two days of the Super League's launch, while Inter quickly followed.
Milan appeared to distance themselves from the new competition, too, but Juventus, while acknowledging the existing format cannot work, retain hope of reform in European football.
Juve chairman Andrea Agnelli has been credited with playing a key role in the organisation of the tournament.
But initial plans suggested the Bianconeri and their allies would continue to play in domestic competitions while contesting the Super League.
A new regulation, passed on Monday, means this cannot happen.
Italian Football Association (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina said: "Those who believe they should participate in a competition not authorised by the FIGC, UEFA and FIFA lose membership.
"At the moment, we have no news of who remained and who left the Super League.
"This rule refers to national licenses. It is clear that if, on June 21, the deadline for registration applications, someone wishes to participate in competitions of a private nature, they will not take part in our championship."
Juve would appear to be the club at most serious risk, although Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has claimed Milan are also still involved.
Both Juve and Milan first have work to do to clinch qualification for the Champions League, the tournament they sought to break away from.
Andrea Pirlo's team were held to a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina on Sunday and are fourth, level on points with fifth-placed Milan, who were thumped 3-0 by Lazio on Monday.
John Millman outlasted Alexei Popyrin in a near three-hour marathon to progress to the second round of the BMW Open.
Eighth seed Millman was made to work exceedingly hard to avoid an early exit, eventually coming through a contest in which the two Australians faced a combined 31 break points by a 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 7-5 scoreline.
Ricardas Berankis won a 22-point tie-break in the first set to defeat Maximilian Marterer, while there were also wins for Millman's next opponent Guido Pella, Federico Coria and Ilya Ivashka.
At the Estoril Open, Kevin Anderson saved a match point at 6-5 down in the second set tie-break and turned around a 4-1 deficit in the third set to beat Frances Tiafoe 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-4).
"It was obviously a very, very close match," Anderson said. "I think there were a lot of positives, a lot of really high-quality tennis, especially from midway through the second until the end of the match, I was really happy with the way I played.
"I think even if I had lost that match, obviously it's always tough losing, but I definitely felt I took a step in the right direction.
"Getting the win is a big added bonus, it gives me another opportunity to come out in a couple days' time."
Eighth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat Pablo Andujar in three sets, with Jeremy Chardy and qualifier Nuno Borges also victorious in Portugal.
Joaquin Correa scored twice as Lazio enhanced their chances of qualifying for the Champions League and pushed Milan out of the top four with a 3-0 win at fortress Stadio Olimpico.
Correa scored after only 77 seconds and struck again in the second half to seal a deserved victory for Lazio in head coach Simone Inzaghi's first game back on the touchline since recovering from coronavirus.
The prolific Ciro Immobile rubbed salt into the wounds with a late third as Milan were toothless in defeat to Stefano Pioli's former club and slipped to fifth in the Serie A table, level on points with Napoli and Juventus.
Lazio are five points adrift of the Rossoneri, after securing a 10th successive home victory in the top flight, and they have a game in hand in what is shaping up to be a tense battle for Champions League qualification.
Joaquin Correa scored twice as Lazio enhanced their chances of qualifying for the Champions League and left Milan out of the top four with a 3-0 win at fortress Stadio Olimpico.
Correa scored after only 77 seconds and struck again in the second half to seal a deserved victory for Lazio in head coach Simone Inzaghi's first game back on the touchline since recovering from coronavirus.
The prolific Ciro Immobile rubbed salt into the wounds with a late third as Milan were toothless in defeat to Stefano Pioli's former club and slipped to fifth in the Serie A table, level on points with Napoli and Juventus.
Lazio are five points adrift of the Rossoneri, after securing a 10th successive home victory in the top flight, and they have a game in hand in what is shaping up to be a tense battle for Champions League qualification.
Kolkata Knight Riders ended their four-match IPL slump with a comfortable five-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad.
KKR had lost each game since winning their tournament opener but were quickly on top on Monday, given a straightforward chase - led by captain Eoin Morgan (47 not out) and Rahul Tripathi (41) - after limiting the Kings to 123-9.
That total could easily have been far lower as Punjab failed to fire, with Mayank Agarwal their top scorer on an underwhelming 31 off 34.
By the time he departed to Sunil Narine in the 12th over, the Kings had just 60 runs on the board and had already lost three prior wickets - including Chris Gayle, who had previously averaged 47 against the Knight Riders but went for a duck.
Wickets continued to fall apace, but Chris Jordan ensured his side made three figures and then kept going, 30 off 18 keeping Punjab's slim hopes alive.
Those hopes grew when Kolkata made a similarly shaky start, losing three wickets in the first three overs.
But Tripathi survived and a partnership of 66 with Morgan set the stage for a stress-free finale, even with Andre Russell run out for 10.
A 13-run 16th over, including back-to-back Morgan boundaries, brought the finish line into view, with Dinesh Karthik's four then completing the job at 126-5 with 20 balls to spare.
Narine celebrations soon subside
The Knight Riders had not previously had much to savour this season, but Sunil Narine always enjoys himself against the Kings and figures of 2-22 took him to 30 Punjab wickets, the most of any bowler in the IPL.
His quota was finished by the time Jordan threatened a fightback, though, and then the West Indies all-rounder was unable to contribute with the bat as Ravi Bishnoi's outstanding diving catch ended his innings after four balls and no runs.
Morgan makes sure of no momentum swing
This has been a tough tournament for the Knight Riders and they might have feared another difficult outing against the Kings, who had been eight-wicket victors in their previous meeting in October.
But skipper Morgan was a typically steady presence throughout the chase before accelerating late on to pass 7,000 Twenty20 runs and ensure Kolkata retain the upper hand against a side they have now beaten in 13 of their past 16 outings.
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