Kansas City Royals Become America's Team for Baseball Postseason using Small Ball, Long Ball and Extra Inning Dramatics

With a thrilling, and Hollywood-like, 6-0 start to their first playoff run in almost three decades the Kansas City Royals have worked their way into the hearts of baseball fans everywhere.  (Well, maybe not fans of the Oakland A’s, Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles and potentially St. Louis Cardinals or San Francisco Giants)

The Royals with their decades long lack of success mixed with their unconventional (for today’s game) style of small ball that excites some and really annoys others (I’m looking at you SABR nerds) have taken the baseball world by storm with their stunning and historic (four of their six wins have come inexplicably in extra innings) run.

In an era when people are trying to kill off the sacrifice bunt and would rather see a batter selfishly strike out than selflessly move a teammate into scoring position because some formula has determined that is better and the stolen base has become almost a relic of the past the Royals brand of baseball, led by manager Ned Yost, seems old-fashioned, but it also is incredibly fun to watch and has been extremely effective this postseason.

People simply don’t like it because fans would rather see monstrous home runs than small ball and swinging and missing is somehow considered more masculine than helping your team out by laying down a bunt. But, in the real world of baseball a win is a win and scoring gets you there. In today’s post-steroid era of baseball runs aren’t nearly as easy to come by so why not score any way you possibly can. Fans may “dig the long ball” – hell, I like to see moon shots every now and then too – but what the Royals are doing now through solid pitching, excellent defense and sound strategy is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen in 20 years of watching baseball.

With all of this talk of small ball, though, I should mention that the Royals, a team that hit the fewest home runs of any team in Major League Baseball this season, has also found its power stroke since the playoffs began – hitting eight homers (four alone by third baseman Mike Moustakas), including four that came in much-needed extra inning situations by Moustakas, left fielder Alex Gordon and first baseman Eric Hosmer. All three of those hitters have upped their power games in big situations.

The Royals bullpen featuring the terrific Greg Holland, Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera and youngster Brandon Finnegan have also proven to be invaluable for the Royals keeping them in all of these long, close extra inning games well after their solid starting pitchers have exited.

The Royals almost flawless outfield defense from center fielder Lorenzo Cain, Gordon, right fielder Nori Aoki and late-inning defensive replacement Jarrod Dyson have managed to save the Royals in many situations and leave the mouths of fans agape at the sheer beauty and brilliance of some of their catches.

The most exciting thing about the Royals this postseason, which appeared mostly in their unbelievable come from behind victory against the A’s in the American League Wild Card game, is their speed on the basepaths from speedsters such as Cain, Dyson and Terrance Gore. Dyson and Gore are frequently used as pinch runners by Yost in late inning situations and almost always swipe bags without being caught. You just know they’re going to run and yet it’s still exhilarating to watch.

As a baseball purist I love seeing the Royals use small ball strategy, speed on the basepaths and sound defense to have this much success. It’s even better knowing how much of an underdog they are and how little success they’ve had since they last won the World Series or even went to the playoffs in the George Brett-era of 1985. I’d take this style of baseball the Royals have perfected over high scoring home run derby-like games any day of the week. This style of play, along with the team’s extra inning dramatics over the last two weeks have made me invested in the Royals playoff run more than any other team that wasn’t my favorite (the Atlanta Braves) since I began watching the game two decades ago.

I’ve been living and dying with every single pitch and close play, and again this isn’t even my favorite team. I find that incredible. That’s how exciting this Kansas City Royals ballclub has been and from what I’ve seen I think many of the baseball fans of America agree.  

The Day I Saw A-Fraud Go Deep Three Times

I remember a lot of things about August 14, 2010 … few of them good.

I wanted to see a couple of baseball legends play before the end of their careers and I also wanted to check another baseball stadium off of my list. So the plans were made and the tickets were purchased and I was going to see the New York Yankees visit the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

I wanted to see Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera play. Alex Rodriguez was going to be there too, but I couldn’t have cared less. By the late summer of 2010 the whole world already knew that Alex Rodriguez was a cheater. We may have bought the inflated numbers and inflated body size before, but just a year earlier Rodriguez had admitted to using steroids while playing with the Texas Rangers in the early part of the ‘00s. Barry Bonds had retired a few years before, so Rodriguez was my most hated player in the game.

Insomnia has always been a bitch for me and during the summer months when I was a college student it was at its worst. The day before we (my girlfriend, my family and me) where set to drive up to Kansas City from Northern Arkansas for the afternoon game I had failed to get any sleep whatsoever. You’d think a six hour drive to the ballpark the morning of the game would be the perfect opportunity to catch ups on some Z’s, but that didn’t happen either. By first pitch I was going to be awake for more than 24 hours without sleep.

We know heat and humidity in Arkansas, but I swear that August afternoon in Kansas City was one of the single hottest days I’ve ever experienced in my life. Walking around a new ballpark that you’ve never been to can be one of the best aspects of attending a Major League Baseball game, but I didn’t want to do a whole lot of walking around in that summer heat. Kauffman Stadium is most known for its giant ass water fountain in right field, but damn if they won’t let spectators play around in it. They could seriously charge admission to it on days like this. Our seats were in right field just in front of this fountain. So not only is it amazingly hot outside, but I’m being taunted by a 322 foot fountain, which happens to be the largest privately funded fountain in the entire damn world. The only real safety from the heat that day was the indoor, air conditioned Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame, which I can’t remember how much it cost to enter, but it was definitely overpriced. The Royals franchise, at this point, was 41 years old and they had managed only one hall of fame player in that entire time – George Brett – so needless to say the team’s hall of fame wasn’t all that thrilling. Being out of the heat for a half an hour or so sure as hell was.

It was getting closer to game time so we made our way back to our seats where things just kept getting worse. I’ve got bad luck when attending sporting events, concerts, etc. and I always seem to find the seats that are surrounded by complete jackasses. This hot, tiresome August day in Kansas City we were seated in a row directly in front of four people that were the baseball fans from Hell – actually they might not have even been baseball fans, because they talked about everything in the world but baseball (and very loudly I might add) during the entire game. There is a special place in Hell, which is apparently Kansas City on a hot August afternoon, waiting for those two guys and their significant others … right alongside Alex Rodriguez, of course.

The lack of sleep, unbelievable heat and row of pricks behind us made for a somewhat miserable experience at Kauffman Stadium, but the game wasn’t really all that bad. It wasn’t all that bad, because I really didn’t have a rooting interest. I’m an Atlanta Braves fan at a Yankees-Royals game, so really what does it matter who wins? I rooted for the Royals, though, because who really roots for the Yankees?

Things got off to a slow start in the game as Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes and Royals starting pitcher Sean O’Sullivan had a 1-1 pitcher’s duel going through the first five innings. The fireworks would start in the sixth.

In the sixth inning Alex Rodriguez blasted a ball 423 feet right over our heads to give the Yankees a lead.

Who cares?

O’Sullivan would be knocked from the game just minutes later after Yankees catcher Jorge Posada and Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson connected on back-to-back homers. The Royals would score two runs in the sixth themselves to keep things close. It wouldn’t stay that way for long.

The next inning Rodriguez stepped back up to the plate, this time off of Royals reliever Kanekoa Texeira. The result would be the same as the previous inning, except longer. Rodriguez took Texeira 439 feet to right field, again right over our heads.

I still didn’t give a damn.

He wasn’t finished though. In the ninth inning Rodriguez put the finishing touches on an 8-3 Yankees win with his third dinger of the day – this one the longest at a whopping 449 feet off of Royals reliever Greg Holland. I believe the ball reached the giant fountain that I didn’t have the pleasure of bathing in earlier in the day.

It was a three homer day for Rodriguez with each homer being longer and more impressive than the last. However, I remained unimpressed. Alex Rodriguez could’ve hit a Major League Baseball record-tying fourth or even record-breaking fifth home run that day and I still would’ve been unimpressed. Nothing this tainted slugger could’ve done would have impressed or even interested me.

I got to see Derek Jeter play the field and get what would end up being one of his 3000-plus career base hits. That was impressive to me. Because of Rodriguez’s bombs I didn’t get the pleasure of seeing the greatest closer to ever live Mariano Rivera pitch because it wasn’t a save situation, but oh well, those are the breaks of the game and I knew it would be a possibility going in.

I had never been to a sporting event previously where I was glad the game had ended, and I haven’t been to one where I felt that way since … but the final out came as a relief that day. I could fall asleep when I wanted, I could bask in indoor air conditioning and the row of pricks was gone and thankfully never to be seen from again.

Some would think that I’m making light of a terrific athletic performance – quite possibly the single greatest game I’ve ever witnessed in person and may ever witness in person. A three-homer game from a three-time Most Valuable Player and 14-time All Star should be amazing.

It wasn’t.

It wasn’t because I knew better. I knew, even three years ago, that Rodriguez’s achievements didn’t mean a damn thing because he had made a decision to cheat. I couldn’t cheer for that. I couldn’t respect that. I have no clue if Rodriguez was juicing at that time. He claimed to only do it in Texas from 2001-2003. He never failed a test after Major League Baseball instituted testing in 2006 and still hasn’t to this day. But, there’s a possibility that those homers were tainted, and even if they weren’t they still didn’t mean shit coming from a player who was.

It’s August again, but its three years later. Yesterday Major League Baseball suspended Alex Rodriguez for 211 games, the rest of the 2013 season and the entirety of the 2014 season because of violating baseball’s performance enhancing drugs policy and for actions detrimental to the game of baseball under the collective bargaining agreement for his part in the Biogenesis clinic scandal. The suspension uniquely came down on what was Rodriguez’s 2013 season debut after rehabbing from multiple injuries. Rodriguez, ever the joke, announced that he would appeal the suspension. He can play until the appeal is heard. Rodriguez seems to believe he’s honest now. Even though his name was alongside of 13 other players who accepted suspensions for the same thing and after he tried to cover-up his involvement in the Biogenesis clinic by purchasing documents from the clinic. It is this attempted cover-up that truly has gotten Rodriguez in deeper trouble than the rest of the players who have all only been suspended for the remainder of the season.

Everything he’s gotten is 100 percent deserved. If he never plays another game of baseball after his appeal is heard the game will be much better off.

If I have children one day I will be able to recount how I saw legends and surefire future hall of famers like Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones and Albert Pujols play the great game of baseball at an incredibly high level. I’ll get to show them the stats and video footage of these players and tell them just how special they were and just what kind of role models they were. If this day comes I hope my children look up to these guys in the same way that I do with legends I never got to see like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Ted Williams.

I then will sit them down and tell them about the day I saw Alex Rodriguez hit three home runs and how that feat meant absolutely nothing to me because of all the harm Rodriguez and others of his ilk did to the game I love. They should and will learn that fantastic feats mean nothing when there isn’t honesty and morals behind them.

These future kids of mine are going to know the legacy of the Jeters, Joneses and Pujolses. They are just as importantly going to know the embarrassment of the A-Frauds. As much as I’d like to forget that clowns like Rodriguez exist it’s important to remember them and pass down their tainted tales this way the future lover’s of the greatest game ever played won’t mistake fake for fame when they look into the record book and see the bloated numbers of these bloated buffoons.

            

Joyce's Blown Call is Worse Than Denkinger's

I’ve been watching four hours of sports talk radio this morning with “Mike and Mike in the Morning.” The biggest story is of course the blown call by baseball umpire Jim Joyce that cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game on a close play at first that would have been the 27th and final out of the perfect game.

Multiple times this morning I’ve heard that Joyce’s call was the second worst call in baseball history behind Don Denkinger’s controversial call in the 1985 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals.

For those of you that don’t know or remember, here’s a rundown of Denkinger’s call from 25 years ago. It was during the ninth inning of game six with the Cardinals up in the series three games to two and up in the game 1-0 with a chance to win the World Series. Cardinals closer Todd Worrell was on the mound and leading off the inning for the Royals was infielder Jorge Orta. Orta hit a roller to Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark and Worrell was forced to cover the bag. Clark flipped the ball to Worrell who stepped on the bag a half step ahead of Orta, but Denkinger incorrectly called Orta safe. The next batter Steve Balboni singled, putting Orta into scoring position. Royals catcher Jim Sundberg hit a bad sacrifice bunt that Worrell fielded and threw Orta out at third base on. With out the Royals had runners on first and second, but both runners would soon move up on a passed ball by Cardinals catcher Darrell Porter. Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog decided to intentionally walk Hal McRae to load the bases and possibly set up a double play. The next batter Dane Iorg hit a single to score both the tying run and the winning run.

In game seven, Royals ace Bret Saberhagen pitched a five-hit gem and the Royals won the game 11-0 and the World Series.

Now that you’ve been caught up, I’m going to tell you why Denkinger’s missed call is no longer the worst call in baseball history and has now been surpassed by Joyce’s missed call last night.

1) The St. Louis Cardinals have won 10 World Series

At the time of the 1985 World Series the St. Louis Cardinals organization had won nine World Series (they have since won one in 2006), which ranked second all time behind the New York Yankees. When it comes down to it what would another World Series championship really mattered?
Also, the almost exact same Cardinals team had another chance to win the World Series in 1987 when they lost to the Minnesota Twins in seven games, with Twins ace Frank Viola carving them up much like Saberhagen had in game seven of the ’85 series.

2) The Kansas City Royals Have Only Won 1 World Series

The 1985 World Series is the only World Series the Kansas City Royals have ever won … so let them have it. The Cardinals have had multiple chances to win the World Series since then. They’ve been to the World Series three times since the 1985 loss and have won once. The Royals haven’t even been back to the playoffs since their 1985 title and have frankly been one of the worst teams in baseball. Just let them enjoy their one title.

3) The St. Louis Cardinals Gave Up in Game 7
I’ve mentioned that Bret Saberhagen put together one of the finest pitching performances in World Series history against the Cardinals in game seven. Cardinals ace John Tudor, simply did not. Tudor gave up five runs in the first three innings and was lifted for Joaquin Andujar, who was a starting pitcher coming into the game in relief. At this point the Cardinals simply stopped trying and began feeling sorry for themselves. Andujar, not happy about the circumstance, charged Denkinger (who was umping at home in this game) twice to argue the strike zone. Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog came out to defend Andujar and got tossed, after all, you can’t argue balls and strikes (umpiring rule #1). Following Herzog’s ejection, Andujar charged Denkinger one more time and was ejected himself and had to be held back from teammates for fear of attacking Denkinger. The Cardinals essentially let something in game six affect them in game seven.

4) The Cardinals Could Have Easily Gotten Out of the Ninth Inning in Game 6

One infield single to lead off an inning isn’t going to kill a team. Steve Balboni who singled following Orta had previously popped up a fly ball into foul territory that Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark could’ve caught, but dropped. Then when Sundberg’s bad bunt got Orta out at third the Cardinals only needed two more outs with the Royals having runners at second and third. But, then Darrell Porter’s passed ball allowed both runners into scoring position, who ended up scoring on Dane Iorg’s hit. The Cardinals had multiple choices to get out of the inning with the World Series win in their hands, but frankly blew it.

5) Perfect Game Might be the Rarest Accomplishment in All of Sports

Only 20 times in baseball history have perfect games been thrown … so, in a sport that has lasted about 150 years, they obviously don’t come around often. World Series come around every year … heck … the Cardinals have been there three times since ’85. No pitcher in baseball history has ever thrown two perfect games in their career. Therefore, it’s highly unlikely Galarraga will ever get the chance to make history again. Most players don’t get these chances and Galarraga had his taken from him with Joyce’s bad call.

People like to say that Denkinger cost the Cardinals a championship. Honestly he only cost them one out in a game. The Cardinals lost that World Series on their own. Galarraga didn’t lose his perfect game on his own … Joyce lost it for him.

These five reasons are why Jim Joyce’s blown call ruining Armando Galarraga’s perfect game are why it’s the worst call in baseball history. Denkinger’s honestly doesn’t even compare.