KC Royals Will Not Collapse Like the 1964 Phillies

Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Another historic collapse was of the 1969 Cubs.  On the Sept 2, the Cubs were 84 and 52.  The Mets were 77 and 55.  Then as Shea Stadium, a black cat walked on the field behind a young Ron Santo.  Santo got into a tiff with another player, and the Cubs finished 8 games behind the Mets.  But, hey, they are the Cubs.

So are the Royals going to do a nose dive like the Phils?  The Royals’ fans are happy about last night, but will they freak out if Cueto loses his next game?  Are the Royals like that 1964 Phillies team?

The answer appears to be a resounding no.  Obviously you cannot guarantee anything.  But right now, the Royals are 86 and 61 with a 10 game lead over the Twins.

1.   So right now there are the Twins, but unlike 1964 there is no other third team that the Royals have to worry about to win the Central (the Phils had to worry about the Cards and the Reds) . (Of course, they do have to worry about Toronto and other teams in the playoffs.  Are Royals in yet?  No.  Could they collapse?  Theoretically, it is possible.

So far this this month with 7 wins and 12 losses (.388).  Suppose the Royals finish their September as they have started it.  You get 5.15 wins.  Let’s round down to 5 meaning the Royal finish and 91 and 71.

If the Royals finished with 5 wins and 9 losses, they would end with 91 wins and 71 losses.   The Twins currently are at 75  and 73.  If  the Twins won every game, they would be at 89 and 73.  Are the Twins hot this month/  No!  They are 8 and 10 for the month as of Saturday late.

The Twins get some good news.  Glen Perkins is expected back perhaps as early as today.   The  Minneapolis Star-Tribune obviously is focusing on the pennant race.  But their web sports page is highlighting one thing:  not the division crown but the wild card race.

What is the Twins manager Paul Molitor  (in Star Tribune) said after a bad loss Friday: “This is what you want them to feel. Hopefully they win more than they lose going forward, but I think the feeling of loss in games of significance is how you grow. It’s a bad taste.”  Molitor mentioned another big factor  after two losses  ”It would be nice to salvage one from an Angels team that is playing very well,” Molitor said. “I think their experience has shown up here these last three games, and maybe our lack of it has shown up as well.

The Twins beat writer for the paper, Paul Souhan said in an article Friday: “Wednesday night’s loss was the worst kind. The Twins blew a ninth-inning lead, blew a chance to gain ground in the wild-card race and blew out their bullpen in a loss.”

Note that the Twins have their sites on the wildcard spot.

Next: The chances greatly favor the Royals