By James Howey
The Los Angeles Angels didn’t have a shot in hell. The Kansas City Royals were on an incredible roll and Kauffman Stadium was a madhouse Sunday night. The Royals completed a 3-game sweep of the Angels and swept themselves into Kansas City history.
After so many years of struggles, Royals fans look like they finally have a winner to cheer for. Obviously, Kansas City is on cloud nine right now with the Royals who are four American League Championship Series wins away from the World Series. Although for me, something Royals fans should realize is that in this playoff run the future looks just as bright as the “now” for the Royals.
The Royals have already come out and said not to expect the that the team will re-sign the squad’s ace pitcher James Shields. With the emergence of starting pitcher Yordano Ventura, not keeping Shields looks like the right decision. Ventura had maybe the best start of all the Royals pitchers in his 3-1 win over the Angels in Game Two. Pitcher Brandon Finnegan also looks like another potential arm to add to an already lethal Royals’ bullpen. The Royals have developed so much young talent in recent years but pitching is the key to the way the Royals play and their success.
The Royals obviously don’t have a large payroll, so the ability to develop players is important for the continued success of this ball club. The praises of general manager, Dayton Moore really can’t be sung loudly enough. Moore traded away Will Myers who many thought would be the savior of the franchise for Kansas City. In 2009, Moore traded Myers to the Tampa Bay Rays for the teams now ace Shields and another solid pitcher in Wade Davis. While Myers was a good player for the Rays. Shields’ impact on the Royals goes beyond just pitching. Shields has provided much-needed leadership and knowledge to what is a relatively young team and is a huge reason for the Royals being where they are.
I’m not a Royals fan, but even I have to admit the run this team is on is pretty amazing. The Royals are hot and everything is going their way. It wouldn’t matter if the 1927 New York Yankees were on the other side, the Royals would think they would win. I don’t know if the Royals will beat the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are a tougher team than the Angels and have better pitching. Although I do know one thing. The Royals have no doubt in their minds that they will win and after 29 years of disappointment, Royals fans can’t really ask for much more than that.
Contact James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu