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Kansas City Royals: Observations from 2019 Opening Day

By Leigh Oleszczak

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MARCH 28: Kansas City Royals players line up during the National Anthem prior to the Opening Day game between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on March 28, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MARCH 28: Kansas City Royals players line up during the National Anthem prior to the Opening Day game between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on March 28, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Kansas City Royals first base Frank Schwindel (25) (Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Kansas City Royals first base Frank Schwindel (25) (Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

FRANK SCHWINDEL!!!

Okay, so maybe Frank Schwindel didn’t get an official hit, but in his first ever Major League Baseball game, he was able to get on base twice. Both times were as a result to the White Sox making errors, but hey… Schwindel has worked his butt off to get to the big leagues and he made it on base twice!

WHIT MERRIFIELD WILL BE THE STAR OF THIS TEAM

Whit Merrifield captured all of our hearts during his rookie season, but after getting a team-friendly extension and showing he really does love the Royals, why wouldn’t fans feel a connection to him?

Merrifield was a lot of fun to watch on Thursday, going two for three with a walk and swiping two bags. He’s batting .333 after one game and it’d be shocking if he doesn’t end up as the Royals representative in the All-Star Game. I’m THAT confident that he’s the next big thing in Kansas City.

MARTIN MALDONADO PLAYED GOOD DEFENSE

Martin Maldonado is filling in for an injured Salvador Perez this year and he showed off his defense, making several key plays behind the dish. Cameron Gallagher probably isn’t making those plays.

FANS TOUGHED IT OUT

I attended Opening Day with my dad and two brothers and let me tell you something… It was a long afternoon/evening. We got to the ballpark around 2:30 and the game didn’t end up starting until 5:00 due to the crappy weather.

The fans didn’t let the rain ruin their fun though. The crowd was juiced whenever the Royals scored and were really into the game throughout. It was good to see.

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