Kansas City Royals: Thank You James Shields

The news broke on Monday morning that former Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields had signed a four-year contract worth $75 million with the San Diego Padres. Shields will be missed in Kansas City, not just for his abilities, but for the leadership and energy he brought to the team (Source of link: ESPN.com).
The Kansas City Royals went all out in acquiring Shields back in 2012. Dayton Moore sent Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, and a few other names to the Tampa Bay Rays in order to get Shields and Wade Davis. Those who question that trade really shouldn’t, after James Shields and Wade Davis both had a huge hand (or arm rather) in getting the Royals to their first World Series since 1985.
During Shields’ two years in Kansas City, he went 27-17 with a 3.18 ERA in 68 games. He had three complete games and also had one shutout. Shields was put to work with the Royals, as he pitched 455.2 total innings during his two year span with the team.
I’ll say this – I’ve always been more of a football fan, and that’s typically why I don’t write a lot of baseball content. I’m not familiar with every aspect of the game, but I enjoy it, and I especially enjoyed watching James Shields pitch for the Kansas City Royals over the past two seasons.
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See, when the Royals got Shields through the Tampa Bay trade a few years ago, I didn’t closely follow baseball. I had a roommate at the time who said it was the worst trade imaginable, but on the other end, my dad and my brother (both huge baseball fans) said the trade would be worth it. I would have to say that my dad and brother were right.
Shields may not have had terrific outings during the playoffs, but he helped the team get there. I think my favorite James Shields moment was when the Royals were taking on the Detroit Tigers in Detroit and the Royals were still in the running for the division crown.
Shields dominated in the game, allowing only two hits and not allowing a single run. It was definitely a game where James Shields earned his “Big Game James” nickname because this win helped the Royals keep the lead in the AL Central (Source of stats: Kansas City Royals’ official website).
Sadly, the team didn’t win the division, but they made it through an insane Wildcard game and then went on to sweep the Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles to make it to their first World Series in 29 years. The Kansas City Royals came up short, but there’s no mistaking that James Shields had a huge part in helping the Royals make it to the championship.
So, from all of us in Kansas City, thank you James Shields! We’re going to miss you in 2015.
Next: Should the Royals Have Brought Back James Shields?
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