Cueto hurls 6 innings of 3-run ball in Royals debut

Johnny Cueto had the daunting task of shutting down baseball's best offense in his Kansas City Royals debut, and he didn't disappoint.

The newly acquired right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out seven over six innings to earn a no-decision Friday in a 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

"You've got to execute every pitch with a lineup like this," Cueto said postgame via a translator. "You make a mistake, and you're going to get hurt. You've just got to make sure you're executing pitch to pitch."

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Cueto, sporting a new-look goatee, tossed 111 pitches before turning the ball over to Kansas City's bullpen with a 6-3 lead, which quickly evaporated in the bottom half of the seventh when the Blue Jays rallied for three runs.

Josh Donaldson's walk-off single in the 11th inning officially spoiled Cueto's bid for his first win as a Royal.

Related: Donaldson walks off yet again in Blue Jays' extra-innings win

"He did a great job in his first start here," Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain said. "Unfortunately we didn't hold the lead there at the end."

Cueto's next scheduled start is Thursday in Detroit.