KC Royals: How No Fear Baseball Made Them Winners

The KC Royals success has puzzled pundits and analysts ever since they crashed the World Series party in 2014. Aside from the numbers, the Kansas City Royals succeed in clutch situations because they’re a team that isn’t afraid to lose.

I know that sounds a bit too pat—and really, something of a cliche. But, Rany Jazayerli’s brought this old saying to life with his post about Jarrod Dyson‘s stolen base in the 2014 Wild Card game:

"If you want a single image to sum up the never-say-die attitude of the 2014-2015 Kansas City Royals, that’s the one. The Royals were still two outs away from elimination – and Dyson is revving the engines at third base, with complete confidence in himself and without an ounce of fear for the situation. It was if he was saying, “Nervous? Why would we be nervous?” We were losing our minds in the stands, but out on the field, Dyson didn’t have a care in the world. He was a 50th-round pick, a guy who was drafted despite not really knowing how to hit a baseball, who by sheer force of self-confidence and his God-given tools surpassed far more heralded prospects through the farm system, reached the major leagues when he was 26 years old, and has been one of the game’s best fourth outfielders ever since. That’s what speed – and a relentless belief in yourself – do."

(I highly recommend you check out Rany’s fantastic rundown of the top 218 Royals’ moments. It’s a feast a KC Royals fan can happily gorge themselves on for days, heck even weeks, of reading).

If losing is so devastating to a player, or team, that they can’t face the possibility; they will be too tight to take advantage of on-field opportunities that present themselves in fractions of a second.

Next: How Ned Yost Created A No Fear Atmosphere