Kansas City Royals: The Next Phase of Winning
By Paul York
Kansas City Royals players celebrate – Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
The Baseball World Is Watching The Royals
It just so happens that Ventura/Eaton lit the fuse. In my mind, there are a lot of people who owe Ventura an apology. I’m sure he’ll probably get a suspension from MLB on this incident, but for what? For staring at a guy? For responding to another player’s verbal attack? Ridiculous.
Alas, the point of this piece. Winning comes with drama. Drama of all forms. Happy drama like Salvador Perez rolling over an outside pitch, but yanking it past Josh Donaldson in an epic comeback win in a Wild Card game.
Happy drama like homegrown players like Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer erupting in the postseason to propel their team’s offense. Sweeping ALDS and ALCS foes, and making it to Game 7 of the World Series included as well.
The eyes of the whole baseball world are fixed on the Kansas City Royals. After decades of being ignored, and of being irrelevant, the Royals are now firmly in the center of the spotlight.
The price of doing business at the top also comes with drama in the form of tension. When you’re the American League champion, you’re going to have a bullseye on your back. Especially when you play the type of baseball the KC Royals do.
They annoy other teams. The Royals celebrate every hit. The Royals steal bases. The Royals play airtight defense. The Royals have assembled one of the best bullpens in MLB history. That’s going to bother the opponent, thus tensions rise.
As Carl Stewart of Kings of Kauffman points out, the KC Royals need to rise above all of this.
Next: The Royals Have A Target On Their Backs