KC Royals: Five Memorable Ben Zobrist Plays With Royals

KC Royals fans only had the good fortune to cheer for super-utility man Ben Zobrist for a little over three-months as a member of their favorite tiime. But, he and his wife Julianna left an indelible impression on Kansas City Royals fans.

The 34-year-old Zobrist played left field, right field, second base, and third base in his short stint with the KC Royals. He was everything advertised when rumors of the KC Royals interest began to circulate last June.

Zobrist proved a capable fill-in for All-Star left fielder Alex Gordon after he crumpled to the warning track with a torn groin muscle on July 8. When Gordon returned, Ben Zobrist took over for second baseman Omar Infante—who was having a poor season while suffering from bone chips in his right elbow.

Overall, Zobrist hit .284/.364/.453 with 16, doubles, 7 home runs, and 23 RBI’s in the final two months of 2015, for an OPS+ of 121 (21% better than a league-average hitter).

The switch-hitting Zobrist moved into the no. 2 position in the batting order behind free-swinging shortstop Alcides Escobar. Zobrist’s patience, and ability to draw walks, help make up for Escobar’s need to hack. Many times Zobrist prevented an opposing starter to make quick work of the first innings by working deep into the count after Escobar swung on a game’s first pitch.

Zobrist was the perfect fit for the KC Royals “keep the line moving” lineup. With his addition, and Alex Rios effective late-season play, opposing pitchers had to navigate a batting order without a hole. I have to think that helped mentally wear down their opponents under playoff pressure.

Here are the five Ben Zobrist moments I will always remember from the 2015’s championship season:

5) Rusty Kuntz Wants What?

Ben Zobrist had worn no. 18 at his other major league stops in Tampa and Oakland before coming to Kansas City. That number belonged to first base coach (and baserunning coaching savant) Rusty Kuntz.

As is traditional, Ben Zobrist offered Kuntz something to switch numbers.

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Bonus money is typical when an established player wants to displace a younger teammate from his preferred uniform number. Others have given rather expensive, or flashy, gifts. In coach Rusty Kuntz’s case, as KC Royals television reported Joel Goldberg explained,  he wanted a leaf blower.

Kuntz wanted a leaf blower because when he gave up his number while coaching in Pittsburgh he got a lawn mower. Another time he got a snow blower. Kuntz said he was going to retire at some point, and wanted to be ready. Apparently, Kuntz expects to do his own yardwork.

(I, by-the-way, despise yard work and am quite happy to pay someone else to do it for me.)

I suppose most retirees don’t feel like they need to impress people anymore.

Next: July 31, 2015: The Peek-A-Boo Slide

4) The Peek-A-Boo Slide

The KC Royals lost 5-2 while  Zobrist went 0-4 in his Kansas City debut. However, Zobrist collected both his first Kansas City Royals hit and first two Royals RBIs with one swing on July 31.

The landmark hit came in the first inning and drove in Eric Hosmer from third and Kendrys Morales from second base. As most KC Royals fans will recall, Morales is pretty much the slowest runner on the team (with the possible exception of catcher Salvador Perez. A race between the two would be like matching a snail vs. a ground slug).

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Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista made a strong throw home that appeared to beat the lumbering Morales to the plate. Yet, not only is Kendrys Morales a slow running, he isn’t exactly the most fluid athlete on the base paths.

Morales attempted slide into home came up a few feet short of the target, which actually worked to his advantage when Toronto’s All-Star catcher Russell Martin missed the tag due to Morales sudden stop.

Kendrys Morales stood up from his slide as the sprawling Martin’s diving attempt at a tag completely missed Morales. Hey, sometimes being awkward works to your advantage because you’re not where others expect you to be.

It was a goofy little play that sticks in my mind because the KC Royals ended up playing the Blue Jays for the AL pennant less than three months later. Despite a 3-0 first-inning lead, the Kansas City Royals bullpen collapsed in the seventh when Ryan Madson and Kelvin Herrera managed to blow a four-run lead.

Toronto won in the 11th when future league MVP Josh Donaldson singled off Franklin Morales to drive in SS Troy Tulowitzki with the winning run in a 7-6 Toronto win. The KC Royals and Blue Jays deadline deal acquisitions Johnny Cueto (who was the starting pitcher for the Royals), Ben Zobrist, and Troy Tulowitzki faced off in a game that presaged their October battle.

Next: October 9, 2015: First Lead Against Astros

3) October 9, 2015: First Playoff Lead Vs. Astros

In the post-championship parade glow, many KC Royals fans forgot just how close the Houston Astros came to ruining the party.

Though the Astros won a mere 86 game in 2015, they were no easy opponents. The Astros sported a roster of young, up-and-coming top prospects who were just showing the baseball world how good they could become.

The Astros threatened to ruin the KC Royals return trip to the World Series when they won Game 1 5-2, and led Game 2 4-2 in the sixth inning. The Kansas City Royals rallied to score two runs in the bottom of the sixth off Scott Kazmir, Oliver Perez, and Josh Fields to tie the game at 4-4.

Alcides Escobar led off the seventh with a triple that plugged the right-center gap, and Ben Zobrist followed with a solid single to left that gave the KC Royals their first lead in the ALDS.

The Kansas City Royals hung on to win 5-4, which likely saved the KC Royals from elimination when 2015 AL Cy Young award winner Dallas Kuechel dominated in a Game 3 Houston victory.

Of course, fans will remember that the KC Royals pulled off their second four-run, eighth inning miracle comeback to win Game 4, and Johnny Cueto pitched a one-hitter to win the series in Game 5.

Next: October 23, 2015: Getting Things Started The Right Way

1) October 31, 2015: Trick Instead Of Treat

The KC Royals took Game 1 and Game 2 pf the World Series before dropping Game 3 against New York Mets starter Noah Syndergaard.

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With many New York fans in their Halloween costumes, the Kansas City Royals delivered another comeback “trick” instead of a “treat” for the Mets faithful. Trailing 3-1 in the sixth inning, Ben Zobrist led off with a double against Mets starter Stephen Matz. The double was memorable in that it gave Zobrist the major league record for doubles in one post-season at eight.

Zobrist cut the lead to two runs when KC Royals center-fielder Lorenzo Cain followed with a single off reliever Jon Niese. The Mets held the one-run lead into the eighth inning when the Kansas City Royals pulled off their sixth rally to overcome a multi-run deficit in the 2015 post-season. The Royals scored two runs off New York closer Jeurys Familia, aided by a critical error on second baseman Daniel Murphy that allowed the tying run to score.

The Royals won 4-3 with Ben Zobrist the pivot man on a grounder to short that ended the game on a double play, after the Mets had put men on first and second with one out.

Zobrist’s plays in Game 4 ended up as important plays in a win that could have swung momentum back in the Mets favors by tying up the series at two games apiece. Instead, the KC Royals won the title in New York the following night.

Next: Conclusion

Conclusion

Though we fans mostly talk about the players on the field, Ben’s wife Julianna made an impression on Kansas City fans with her singing and regular presence on Twitter:

Julianna is a Christian music singer who released the single Alive shortly after the KC Royals World Series victory:

And also give birth to daughter Blaise Royal Zobrust days after the World Series parade in Kansas City on November 7:

Julianna included this last tweet after Ben signed with the Chicago Cubs in December:

— Julianna Zobrist (@JuliannaZobrist) December 9, 2015

Next: KC Royals Opening Day Anticipation

Ben and Julianna Zobrist are part of the KC Royals second franchise title and first in 30 years. We won’t forget them either.