KC Royals: Times Sure Have Changed For Royals Fans

The Kansas City Royals celebrate after catcher Salvador Perez (13) hit a walk-off single in the AL Wildcard game – Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

The Royals needed to do something, and they needed to do it in the next four innings.

I actually tweeted that night during the sixth inning something to the effect of “Guess we’re not meant to be a playoff team”. It felt like it was destined to be so much more, but the Royals once again proved to be losers.

None of us had any idea that the Wildcard game we had been looking so forward to would be the best baseball game we’d ever witness, but it was just that.

I was sulking. It was getting ugly on my Twitter feed between Royals fans and Cardinals fans (as it always seems to, even a year later). How could a team that had this much drive be out of the postseason before the postseason even really began?

As the game went on and the Royals slowly crawled their way back into it, I had a friend tweet at me and say, “Uhhhh… About this game…” and just like her, my ears were perking back up. Fans were slowly getting back into the game. They weren’t yelling at each other anymore, and everyone was locked in on what was happening.

None of us had any idea that the Wildcard game we had been looking so forward to would be the best baseball game we’d ever witness, but it was just that. One by one the Royals fought back and tied things up in the ninth inning, and later Salvador Perez hit the walk off single in the 12th inning and Kauffman Stadium (all of Kansas City really) erupted in loud cheers.

The Royals would actually get to play October baseball for the first time since 1985, and Kansas City couldn’t wait.

Next: Blue October