The Kansas City Royals. They can’t lose. Have you watched any of these American League postseason games? They are crazy. These Royals just don’t give up. They are starting to give the saying, “in it to win it” a whole ‘nother meaning.
In case you missed it, the Royals have played the last two nights. Against the Baltimore Orioles. In Baltimore. And they won both.
To be real honest, I know pretty close to absolutely nothing about the Orioles. I went ahead and hit up the ol’ reliable googler to see what I could find out. Here’s what I got: the Orioles are in the AL East (I bet you knew that) and I would say that’s a pretty respectable division. And one they didn’t beat around the bush to win this season. They clinched in mid-September. They had 4 starting pitchers that won 10 games. They hit more home runs this season than any other team in major league baseball (211) and had the guy who hit the most of those in Nelson Cruz (40).
So then, they play the Royals for the ALCS. The team that was 30th in home runs for the season (yes, that’s dead last place. 29th? The Cardinals.) with 95 as a team, and Alex Gordon being their big home run guy for the season with 19. Long story short, right before this series starts, you think the O’s have it in the bag, right? RIGHT?
As they are soon (I’m sure) boarding a plane to head back to Kansas City, the Royals come back home leading this ALCS 2-0. How did they do this? Wait…go back up and read the previous two paragraphs. This doesn’t make sense.
Friday night, the Royals hit 3 home runs (to the Orioles zero) in a 10 inning 8-6 win. There were two of those three home runs hit in the 10th. I live in Kansas City. I know what all the sports people were saying. They were begging the Royals to take one in Baltimore. One down, now KC can relax.
Saturday’s game didn’t have as many home runs, but it was just as exciting. Here’s your box score overview: Royals took an early 2-0 lead in the first. The Orioles sac fly in the second, 2-1. Top of third, two guys on, two guys out, Billy Butler (aka the Royals’ newest track star) hits a single that he stretches into a double with an RBI, 3-1. Bottom 3, Orioles 2 run homer, tied score at 3. Top 4, Royals homer, up 4-3. Bottom 5, fielder’s choice, tied at 4. Top of 9th, first Royals’ double (with a score) and then a second Royals’ double, they take the lead 6-4 and never lose it. KC takes the second game of the series and are now up 2-0.
This series resumes Monday, after a travel day tomorrow. In Kansas City. The Kansas City crowds are hungry. And loud. And they want a World Series back in KC.
Let me give you a quick side bar here. I don’t know what you know about Kansas City or the people that live here. I have seen a couple of not so nice things on the Internet about KC radio people talking about the Cardinals or something, I haven’t wasted my time reading it. I can tell you what I know by living it, and it’s this…I have never seen so many people excited for baseball in my entire life. I had at least 10 different people approach my children and myself (in our Cardinal gear) today to talk about the excitement they have about there possibly being another I-70 World Series. (I actually had a self-confessed “non-baseball” fan ask me if KC and St. Louis had ever played each other in the World Series. I laughed until I realized she was serious, and then I explained.) Just because a couple of people you hear about thinks one way, please don’t stereotype all Kansas City people in that category. Kansas Citians love baseball, too, it’s just that nobody’s heard from them for a couple of years. And now, I step down off my soap box.
I don’t know about you, but this Royals team is really starting to remind me of another team that I knew in 2011. That I-70 Series is coming closer to reality. Now, we gotta get the NLCS on our side.
As always…Go Cards!
