What a wonderful baseball season in Kansas City!
The 2024 Royals were 86-76, an improvement of 30 games over the 56-106 record in 2023.
They were 3-3 in the postseason, sweeping the Orioles in the Wild Card round (2-0) and bowing out to the Yankees in the ALDS (1-3).
Before the season started, NOBODY predicted they would be this good.
Fangraphs predicted 76 wins. PECOTA, 70.5. USA Today, 70. Most betting sites, 73.5.
The Nostradamus Panel convened by Hot Stove: David Matson – 69; Bob White – 71; Jim Heeter – 73; Steve Roling – 74; Lonnie Shalton – 76; and Jeb Bayer – 78.
Speaking on behalf of our panel members, we are ecstatic we were so wrong.
Sincere thanks to the owners, front office, manager, coaches and players for giving us a fun regular season and capping it with baseball in October.
The Matchup: The Royals and Yankees have a storied postseason history. And it’s not friendly (details in Hot Stove #263).
Although the Yankees won 94 games (to the Royals 86), there was an opening for the Royals to prevail. With the open dates that came with the playoff schedule, the Royals were able to go with their three top starters, all in the AL top ten of ERA. The Yankees also had a possible advantage. The reliable Geritt Cole would get two starts.
The lineups of both teams were suspect. From an article in the New York Post, “There is a commonality between the Yankees and Royals lineups and how much they depend on their two best players. Remove Witt and Perez (the last Kansas City link to its 2015 title) from the Royals’ regular season-results and the slash line is .232/.290/.368. Remove Judge and Soto from the Yankees and the slash line is .233/.302/.375.”
As it turned out, most of the runs scored in the ALDS did not arise from the bats of Witt (2-17), Perez (3-16), Judge (2-13) and Soto (4-14). The small sample size of four games netted this quirky set of stats:
Royals ALDS RBI Leader: Garrett Hampson – 3 RBIs (in 4 plate appearances, 3 hits and a walk)
RBIs by Witt and Salvy – collectively, 2 RBIs in 34 plate appearances.
RBIs by Judge and Soto – collectively, 2 RBIs in 34 plate appearances.
Game 1 – Yankee Stadium (10/5): The day before this game, I got a cryptic message from Leland Shurin:
“Doesn’t the game with the Yankees begin at 17:38 tomorrow? A sure sign from the gods of Royals victory.”
Why was Leland using the 24-hour clock? And how did that connect to the Royals? I knew he and Jill were in London, so thought maybe it had something to do with the Royal Family or with Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, a short boat ride down the Thames from London. And then it hit me…
Déjà vu 2015/2024: Nine years ago, Lorenzo Cain’s walkup song was “Trap Queen” by rapper Fetty Wap. The song begins with a reference to 1738, which is tied back to a brand of cognac (Remy Martin 1738). The song became popular in the clubhouse as the Royals headed toward their 2015 World Championship. Players fined each other if a player did not work in “17” or “38” in postgame interviews. Fetty Wap showed up at Kauffman Stadium to join in the fun. Below, Salvy taking a selfie with Fetty Wap (left) and teammate Jarrod Dyson, all wearing 1738 jerseys (photo by John Sleezer of the Kansas City Star).
So, were the gods with the Royals in Game 1 with the 17:38 start time? Well, certainly not Mercury, the Roman god of speed.
The Royals had a prime opportunity to break the game open in the second inning. Perez led off and singled. Gurriel walked. Melendez singled.
Most of the baseball world assumed Salvy would be stopped at third, setting the team up with the bases loaded and no outs. The third base coach had a different idea. He waved home one of the slowest players in the major leagues. Unsurprisingly, Salvy did not sprout Mercury’s winged sandals and was easily thrown out (video here). I repeat, there were no outs. The line was moving. A good chance for a big inning.
As soon as it happened, I got a text from Richard Martin. I responded. Twitter was alive with similar comments, and I sent him Joe Posnanski’s tweet. Richard gave that a thumbs-up. Screenshot…
The Royals scratched out one run in the inning. The teams then exchanged leads five times (a postseason record), the Yankees prevailing 6-5.
The last Yankee run came after a controversial replay ruling. In the 7th, with the game tied 5-5, Jazz Chisholm led off and singled. He then stole (?) second base. He was called safe, but the replay showed daylight between Chisolm’s shoe and the bag as he was being tagged. Video here.
The TBS broadcasters agreed the call should be overturned. The replay crew said no. Chisolm stayed at second and was later singled in with what proved to be the winning run.
Déjà vu 1985/2024: As much as I would like to blame the loss on the replay crew, I recognize they did not (i) send Salvy home, (ii) walk eight Yankee batters, nor (iii) cause our best hitters (Bobby, Vinnie and Salvy) to go 1-14 in the game.
This is reminiscent of umpire Don Denkinger’s incorrect call at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series. Yes, it helped the Royals win, but Denkinger did not (i) incorrectly call Frank White out at second, (ii) cause Clark’s misplayed popup or Porter’s passed ball, (iii) cause the Cardinals to fold in Game 7, etc. (as described in detail in Hot Stove #79). Apologies to Cardinals fans for reopening this wound.
Game 2 – Yankee Stadium (10/7): It was quite the Monday night for Kansas City sports fans. Both the Royals and Chiefs were on national television. The Royals at Yankee Stadium and the Chiefs at Arrowhead playing New Orleans.
This made for some cool lighting around the city. Below, from our condo, the twin American Century towers and the Aloft and Cascade hotels highlighting the colors of both teams.
And at Union Station (photo by Frank Perez Images).
Chiefs fans broke out with “Let’s Go Royals” chants during the Saints game and roared with approval when word came during the third quarter that the Royals had won in New York. To complete the Monday KC sweep, the Chiefs beat the Saints.
The Royals scored all their runs in the 4th inning. Salvy ignited the rally by leading off with a homer. Four singles combined to score three more runs. The Royals won 4-2, tying the series at one game each.
After the game, Jazz Chisolm generated headlines by telling the press, “We had a lot of missed opportunities tonight, so they just got lucky.” Sort of a bold statement from the guy who got lucky on the controversial replay call in Game 1.
Game 3 – Kauffman Stadium (10/9): The Royals returned to postseason play at Kauffman Stadium for the first time since 2015.
Jazz Chisholm’s “lucky” comment from Game 2 was well known to the fans who booed his every move. I liked Rustin Dodd’s take.
The teams played on equal terms for the first seven innings. With the score tied 2-2 in the top of the 8th, Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo homer.
Déjà vu 1976/2024: When Stanton hit his homer, I drifted back to Game 5 of the 1976 ALCS. The Yankees and Royals were tied 6-6 in the 9th when Chris Chambliss hit a solo homer to win it for the Yankees. His was a walk-off since the game was in New York, but it had the same effect as Stanton’s, a one-run victory for the Yankees.
Game 4 – Kauffman Stadium (10/10): There was potential favorable déjà vu when the Royals took the field at Kauffman Stadium for Game 4.
Déjà vu 2015/2024: In the ALDS in 2015, the Royals were 1-2 against the Astros after three games. Same situation in 2024. That’s where the déjà vu ends. In 2015, the Royals won the next two against the Astros and went on the win the World Series. Not so in 2024.
Game 4 was dominated by Yankee pitcher Gerrit Cole. He pitched seven innings, scattering six hits and giving up no walks. He left with a 3-1 lead, which was also the final score.
The highlight of the game was in the 6th inning. Maikel Garcia led off and singled. Michael Massey hit a grounder to first basemen Jon Berti who tagged the bag and threw to second to shortstop Anthony Volpe who tagged out Garcia for a double play. Volpe took exception to Garcia’s aggressive slide and jammed his forearm into Garcia’s chin while making the tag.
There was a little standoff between the two, but it looked like Garcia was willing to be led away. Then he got taunts from some Yankees, notably the ubiquitous Jazz Chisholm, and both benches emptied, including the obligatory rush to the field from the bullpens. A typical baseball fight – a lot of milling around and no punches thrown. Video here.
Déjà vu 1977/2024: Game 5 of the 1977 ALCS also had an aggressive “slide” into second base. When Hal McRae of the Royals took out Willie Randolph of the Yankees.
But even Yankee manager Aaron Boone chuckled at the comparison, “Yeah, it was like, if there was some kind of upset over the slide or whatever, we should just go back and show a little Hal McRae and Willie Randolph, and we’ll all laugh at ourselves.”
In the 7th inning, the Royals came close to tying the game. After two outs, Tommy Pham singled, and Kyle Isbel came to the plate. Isbel plays a great centerfield but bats eighth in the lineup for a reason. But he can knock it out of the park – he had eight homers this year. Isbel crushed a ball to right that would have been a home run in 24 of 30 MLB parks. Kauffman was not one of them, and Juan Soto made the catch inches from the fence. After the game, Yankee manager Aaron Boone admitted, “My heart skipped a beat on Isbel.”
So, the Yankees won the series, three games to one. The cumulative score for the four games: Yankees – 14 and Royals – 12. Close, but as Freddie and Bobby will tell you, it still hurts…
Déjà vu 1977/2024: After the Royals lost to the Yankees in the 1977 ALCS, Freddie Patek lingered in the dugout as the Yankees celebrated on the field. He had hit into a double play in the 9th inning. Photo by Kansas City Star photographer Joseph A. Coleman.
After the Royals lost to the Yankees last week, Bobby Witt lingered in the dugout as the Yankees celebrated on the field. He had gone 2-17 in the ALDS. Photo from a tweet by Kansas City Star sportswriter Sam McDowell.
Later in the locker room, Bobby said he had stayed to watch the Yankees celebrate because “That’s where I wanna be.”
He lamented that he had let people down.
Balderdash. He gave us an MVP-level regular season. He knocked in the winning runs in each of the Wild Card games. But for Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals would not have been in the postseason.
Mayor Quinton Lucas spoke for all Royals fans…
Bobby also spoke to the future, “It’s kind of something that will light a torch in you…Because now for Kansas City Royals baseball, this is what we want. This is what we’re gonna do every year. We’re gonna get in the postseason. Now it’s how far we’re gonna go.”
And this…
Déjà vu 1980/2024: Bobby will likely come in second to Aaron Judge in the AL MVP balloting. The last time a postseason series pitted the top two MVP players against each other was in the 1980 ALCS. The Royals Gorge Brett was the AL MVP that year and Yankee Reggie Jackson finished second.
Bob Costas and Howard Cosell: I don’t have space to discuss all my TV complaints about TBS. So, I’ll just go with my déjà vu item.
I’ve always liked Bob Costas and was glad to hear he would be on the TBS broadcasting team with Ron Darling. But something felt wrong as the games progressed. Costas (and sometimes Darling) could be confused with the regular Yankee broadcasters, especially with the effusive praise of Aaron Judge (who deserves praise, but not so repetitively; there is a game to cover).
I was not alone. Two sample tweets:
“Bob Costas keeps trying to foreshadow and/or manufacture a career-defining moment every time Aaron Judge is up to bat, and he just won’t stop striking out.”
“Welcome back, and thanks for turning into Yankees postseason coverage here on TBS.” With this doctored photo…
This leads me to…
Déjà vu 1976/2024: The first postseason matchup of the Royals and Yankees was 48 years ago – the 1976 ALCS. Howard Cosell was part of the ABC broadcasting team, and his pro-Yankee coverage grated on those of us rooting for the Royals, including Missouri Senator Tom Eagleton.
Although Eagleton was a loyal Cardinals fan (above with Stan Musial), he was happy to say nice things about the Royals who also played in Missouri. After the Yankees won the series, Eagleton fired off a letter on Senate stationery to Roone Arledge, the head of ABC Sports. Tom knew of my baseball passion and so included me in his list of three to receive blind carbon copies. The others went to KC politico Steve Glorioso and Eagleton staffer Chris Clouser. And the letter was released to the press. Here is what he said:
Dear Mr. Arledge:
“I wish to add my name to the list of thousands in opposition to Howard Cosell’s broadcasting of the playoffs between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees. I realize that Cosell’s obnoxiousness is the reason that ABC finds him so marketable. As a loyal, devoted baseball fan, I always have derived great comfort from the fact that our ‘nation’s pastime’ was free of Cosell. Hopefully, after the World Series that will be the case once again.
Reggie Jackson’s endless commentaries, although not as offensive as Cosell’s, were inane in their own right. He talks and talks saying next to nothing. Perhaps this was his way of keeping Cosell off the air.”
Yours very truly, Thomas F. Eagleton, Devoted Baseball Fan
Cosell responded by saying Eagleton was a Johnny-come-lately to the ranks of Cosell critics. Cosell quoted Abraham Lincoln, “If I would read, much less answer, all the attacks on me, my shop would be closed to any business.”
As you might guess, the scuffle with Cosell boosted Eagleton’s popularity in Kansas City.
The Final Four: After the Royals were eliminated this year, I still had some rooting interest in the remaining ALDS and NLDS games. I hoped Cleveland would beat Detroit and that San Diego would beat the Dodgers. Why? Because Cleveland has not won the World Series since 1948 (when Satchel Paige was on the roster). And San Diego has never won a World Series (even though they entered MLB the same year as the Royals – 1969).
Below, the headlines when Cleveland (then the Indians) won in 1948. Their NL opponent, the “Braves,” were then in Boston, later moving to Milwaukee and then Atlanta.
I got half a loaf. On Friday night, the Padres lost. On Saturday afternoon, Cleveland won. Go Guardians! Especially since you are playing the Yankees.
Lonnie’s Jukebox – Royals Playoff Edition: A top hit from each of the ten years the Royals have been in the postseason.
“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee (1976). The walk-off homer by Chambliss broke our hearts.
“Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” by Rod Stewart (1977). The night was for the Yankees, not the Royals.
“Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees (1978). For the third year in a row, the Royals stayed alive to win the West Division. Alas, not against the Yankees in the ALCS.
“Magic” by Olivia Newton John (1980). Brett’s 3-run homer off Gossage. Magic.
“Celebration” by Kool and the Gang (1981). This might seem like an inappropriate song for a Royals losing season (50-53). But the players strike in mid-season led to an extra round of playoffs between the best in each division before and after the strike. The Royals had the best record in the AL West after the strike (30-23) and became the first MLB team to play in the postseason with an overall losing record (so celebrate!). They were then swept by Oakland in the West Division playoff.
“Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince & the Revolution (1984). The Royals lost to the Tigers in the ALCS, so the song is better suited to describing Royals fans the following year…
“The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley (1985). Not Roger Kahn’s book on the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950s. The boys of the 1985 summer were the World Champion Royals.
“Happy” by Pharrell Williams (2014). Very happy with winning the Oakland Wild Card game, sweeping the ALDS and ALCS and splitting the first six games of the World Series. Game 7, not so much.
“Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift (2015). The Royals shook off the Game 7 loss in 2014 and won it all in 2015.
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” by the Kansas City Symphony (2024). A special piece for the 2024 postseason Royals.
Walk-Off Photo: Margaret Norcross Photography
