Royals’ Quest for the Crown Leads to World Series Game 7

Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

World Series Game 7. Just seeing those words incites feelings of anticipation and excitement. How can any fan of baseball not be ecstatic about a Game 7? “World Series Game 7” is a collection of 4 of the best words in sports.

Tonight, those words will be preceded by: “the Kansas City Royals are playing in a.”

Go ahead and say it out loud. The Kansas City Royals are playing in a World Series Game 7. Sounds weird, right? I mean, it sounds awesome, but still. My brain hasn’t been able to process that statement as a fact.

To think that about 1 month ago, on September 30, I was inside Kauffman Stadium, along with 40,000 other people, while the Royals trailed Jon Lester and the A’s by 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning. They had a win expectancy of less than 4%. If you approached me at that moment and told me that in 1 month, the Royals would be slight favorites in Game 7 of the World Series, I probably would have given you a hug, because people say crazy things in emotional situations, and they need to be held and told everything’s going to be alright. And yet, here we are.

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I don’t have any statistical analysis for you before this Game 7. Not necessarily because there isn’t any useful information, because obviously there are things that one could point to, but tonight, there are too many potential scenarios to explore. Tim Hudson and Jeremy Guthrie will be the starting pitchers, but both teams will have all hands on deck to get through the game. Other than Yordano Ventura, every Royals’ pitcher will be available, while only Jake Peavy, Jean Machi, and maybe Hunter Strickland will be unable to pitch for the Giants.

Bruce Bochy and Ned Yost will use whatever matchups they can to come away with a victory tonight, so I won’t bother trying to focus on any statistical trends. In Game 7, all bets are off.

The other reason I don’t have any analysis for this post is because I’m having difficulty coming up with words other than OH MY GOODNESS THE ROYALS ARE PLAYING IN A WORLD SERIES GAME 7. I won’t be able to watch this game from Kauffman Stadium, but I will be freaking out inside the confines of my own living room.

I know the environment in Kansas City is going to be electric all day, and tonight will take that energy to a whole other level. This city has been waiting for this moment for 29 years. Tonight, the Royals have an opportunity to add to the incredible story of this season, one that began way back in March.

On March 31, I wrote this article, asking if you were ready for Opening Day. If you scroll down toward the bottom of that post you’ll see this:

And if you let yourself dream a little, are you ready to react to this?

By the end of tonight’s World Series Game 7, you may find out the answer to that question.

Tonight, a World Series Championship is up for grabs. Take the crown, Kansas City.