"We were irrelevant." Irrelevant. Not important. Not having to do with what is being discussed. A few short years ago, The Kansas City Royals weren't even relative to a conversation about Major League Baseball.
THAT'S why this matters. THAT'S why schools were cancelled and a city stopped to celebrate a team, a city, doing the impossible.
ALMOST impossible.
98% impossible.
When we came back and beat the Astros in Game 4 of the ALDS after trailing by 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th, our chances of winning were less than 2%. But that wasn't the only game we refused to lose.
In the top of the 8th of game 6 of the ALCS, the Blue Jays hit a home run to tie the game. It would have been easy to feel hope deflate as time was running out. Instead, we played Royals baseball, kept the line moving and answered with an RBI to win the game and move on to the WORLD SERIES.
Flash Forward a week, as the Mets led 2-0 for most of Game 5 of the World Series. As the 9th inning started, I admit I mentally called it a night and started to prepare myself for the next game.
When will I learn that a game isn't over until the Royals say it's over?
In the top of the 9th, as Eric Hosmer ran home and slide, face first, into home plate to tie the game, we knew. The Mets knew. Kansas City knew.
In true Royals fashion, we won Game 5 of the World Series in 12 innings, beating the Mets 7-2 to become World Champions.
We shouldn't have beat the Astros. We shouldn't have beat the Blue Jays. We Shouldn't have beat the Mets.
But we did.
It's remarkable how many games we won that we should have lost. We were losing in 8 different games during the post-season alone that we came back and won.
Winning once like that is fluke. Winning consistently like that is a team that plays with heart.
With the Royals, no player stands out more than another. Rather, each player performs their job with conviction. They support each other and find value in every player on that roster, from the starters to those who encourage in the dugout. Each player shines brighter in the light of their teammate, like a mirror that brightens the sun.
The Royals inspire us to find our 8th inning, to do what seems impossible, to beat the odds, to do the things others say you can't. They are a team that doesn't quit, a team that shines the brightest when it looks the darkest.
So thank you, Kansas City Royals. Thank you for the memories all of us as natives to this town have of going to games at Kauffman Stadium, whether it be with our grandparents on Buck Night, sharing hotdogs and peanuts or with our high school sweetheart, silently wishing to get on the Kiss Cam. And now, thank you for the new memories we've made with our children watching as the Boys in Blue usher in a new generation of fans, creating more memories watching the Royals, watching
WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS.
THAT'S why this matters. THAT'S why schools were cancelled and a city stopped to celebrate a team, a city, doing the impossible.
ALMOST impossible.
98% impossible.
When we came back and beat the Astros in Game 4 of the ALDS after trailing by 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th, our chances of winning were less than 2%. But that wasn't the only game we refused to lose.
In the top of the 8th of game 6 of the ALCS, the Blue Jays hit a home run to tie the game. It would have been easy to feel hope deflate as time was running out. Instead, we played Royals baseball, kept the line moving and answered with an RBI to win the game and move on to the WORLD SERIES.
Flash Forward a week, as the Mets led 2-0 for most of Game 5 of the World Series. As the 9th inning started, I admit I mentally called it a night and started to prepare myself for the next game.
When will I learn that a game isn't over until the Royals say it's over?
In the top of the 9th, as Eric Hosmer ran home and slide, face first, into home plate to tie the game, we knew. The Mets knew. Kansas City knew.
In true Royals fashion, we won Game 5 of the World Series in 12 innings, beating the Mets 7-2 to become World Champions.
We shouldn't have beat the Astros. We shouldn't have beat the Blue Jays. We Shouldn't have beat the Mets.
But we did.
It's remarkable how many games we won that we should have lost. We were losing in 8 different games during the post-season alone that we came back and won.
Winning once like that is fluke. Winning consistently like that is a team that plays with heart.
With the Royals, no player stands out more than another. Rather, each player performs their job with conviction. They support each other and find value in every player on that roster, from the starters to those who encourage in the dugout. Each player shines brighter in the light of their teammate, like a mirror that brightens the sun.
The Royals inspire us to find our 8th inning, to do what seems impossible, to beat the odds, to do the things others say you can't. They are a team that doesn't quit, a team that shines the brightest when it looks the darkest.
So thank you, Kansas City Royals. Thank you for the memories all of us as natives to this town have of going to games at Kauffman Stadium, whether it be with our grandparents on Buck Night, sharing hotdogs and peanuts or with our high school sweetheart, silently wishing to get on the Kiss Cam. And now, thank you for the new memories we've made with our children watching as the Boys in Blue usher in a new generation of fans, creating more memories watching the Royals, watching
WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS.
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