KC Royals: Kelvin Herrera Continued Domination In 2015

The KC Royals won it all in 2015, and a large part of the team’s dominant ways was due to the bullpen.

The Kansas City Royals have had a historic bullpen the past two years. Both years have seen the Royals making it all the way to the World Series.

When thinking about the bullpen, especially in 2014, a lot of people would mention H-D-H as the key point of the Royals’ success that season. That first H was none other than Kelvin Herrera, who has posted impressive back to back seasons.

Herrera has been a staple in this KC Royals bullpen since joining the major leagues in 2011. His ERA average is 2.60, and his best season came in 2014 when he threw 70 innings and only posted a 1.41 ERA. He did not allow a home run that year.

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2015 wasn’t as good for Herrera, but it was still pretty damn good. He ended the season with a 2.71 ERA, gave up five home runs, and 23 total runs in 69.2 innings pitched.

With Greg Holland faltering this season due to needing Tommy John surgery, Herrera stepped up immensely. He and Ryan Madson both helped out in the seventh and eighth innings, and allowed Wade Davis to do his thing and close the game out.

Herrera continued his dominant ways during the 2015 postseason. His most impressive performance came in Game 5 of the World Series, which ended up being the deciding game for the Kansas City Royals.

In that particular game, Herrera pitched three innings of scoreless ball. He allowed one hit and struck out three. Absolutely phenomenal.

My favorite memory of Herrera came early on in the season. After the Brett Lawrie incident occurred, Herrera made it known that he was one of the biggest bad boys on the Royals’ squad.

After Scott Kazmir beaned Lorenzo Cain with a pitch early on in the game, Herrera took it upon himself later on in the game to get revenge. He threw a 100 MPH fastball behind Lawrie’s head when he went up to bat in the seventh inning.

Sure, the move got Herrera ejected from the game, and at the time, the Royals were trailing by a run, but I respected Herrera for what he did. He wasn’t intending to hurt Lawrie, or he would have thrown the ball AT his head, and not behind it.

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I also strongly believe that Herrera’s ballsiness got the Royals fired up and allowed them to come back and win that game. Herrera was that type of guy for Kansas City all season long, and I don’t see any reason why that would stop anytime soon.

With Holland’s career in Kansas City up in the air, it’s huge that Herrera can be one of the best set-up men in all of baseball. Luke Hochevar showed strides in the 2015 playoffs, so it’s entirely possible that H-D-H can be restored.

This time, however, it’d be more like H-H-D with Hochevar taking the seventh inning, Herrera the eighth, and Davis the ninth.

Next: Ten Greatest Moments in Royals History

At just 25 years old, Kelvin Herrera has proven himself as one of the best relievers in Major League Baseball.