Kansas City Royals Boost Playoff Hopes With Fittingly Wild Walk-Off Win
By Doug LaCerte
@DLaC67
Getty Images
I’ve probably seen it ten times by now. It’s still on my DVR, and I’m tempted as I write this to go back to it again. The Kansas City Royals just pulled off one of the most memorable wins in franchise history with one of the most memorable endings in recent MLB history. To try and describe how that game ended with words would be belittling it greatly, even after seeing it 11 times, so let’s focus instead on how quickly the outlook of a season can change for teams experiencing their first year within this new Wild Card structure.
There was a time on Monday when the Royals were losing 3-0 and the Detroit Tigers were up 5-0 at Target Stadium. In moments, everything flipped; KC chipped away to make it a 3-2 game with runners on the corners in the eighth inning, and the Minnesota Twins rallied to tie the Tigers at six in the eighth frame of that game. Then, hopes came crashing down, momentarily, as the Royals failed to tie the Chicago White Sox in that inning and Detroit led off the 9th with back-to-back solo shots that won them the game.
At first, the night brought a burden of major disappointment down on emotionally committed Royals fans, which the team’s previous stretch of disappointing outcomes greatly intensified. Then KC threatened over and over in the late innings without breaking through to earn a lead, all while the Twinkies mounted their steady and improbable comeback in Minnesota. I’m switching to my smartphone at commercial breaks and reminding myself to take deep, slow breaths. It’s only the middle of September, after all.
In the end, KC walks off with a remarkable, one-of-a-kind victory, just minutes after the arch-rival Tigers do much of the same. While Detroit kept their 1.5-game lead of the AL Central with well-timed power from veteran bats, the Royals stole a game from Chicago with frenzy hitting, infield base-hits and havoc-inducing speed. What could be more fitting than that to begin the most exciting two weeks of Royals baseball in almost three decades?
Moments like this remind us all why baseball is such a beautiful sport.
Doug LaCerte is a writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DLaC67, “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.
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