Royals Straight Dope: All National MLB Writers Please Read

How Long Has This Been Going On?

Thanks for the question Marvin Gaye. July 19th 2013 when the KC Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 1-0.  It was the first game after the all-star game. Mark it down. Since that game the Royals have beat every team in every possible category to measure who is the best team.

Wins #1. Series wins #1, Playoffs games won #1, World Series games won #1, Least games lost, least series lost, Best Playoff win %, Most all-star players, Best team in baseball, Best Bullpen, and the most World Series rings. (700) And you really think they are worried about who is the hottest new team of the moment?

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This date is very important. Typically as a writer, you should go back to the date of the turnaround. This helps define the important moments. Did Raul Ibanez‘s clubhouse speech turn it around for the Royals? Probably not since that happened 12 months after the fact. How about adding the great Jonny Gomes? Same thing, too late.

What about Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist, that’s what you need to look at as a typical sportswriter. But those happened so long after the Royals made their original move, you’ll get no help looking there. Go back to 7/19/2013.

If you can’t figure it out from that, ask. It is was extremely subtle. It explains the when, the why, and the how.  I can tell if the Royals are going to win on a specific night because of this. I know what they need to do to win and usually whether or not they will.

I personally told two St Louis Cardinals fans that KC would beat them in a series, because the Royals were a better team than they were. While THEY were in the World Series! In 2013! The Royals hadn’t been in the playoffs in 30 years, but I’m telling Cards fans the Royals were better than them. Got some good laughs. But the joke was on them, they were a better team at that time and have been every day since 7/19/2013.

Had KC made the playoffs that year, which they almost did, having the best record in baseball after the all-star game, they would have won easily. No one was beating them in a series at that time. The Royals would have beat the Cardinals in that series in 2013 just like Boston did.

What makes them a super team? Look back to 2013 dawg. Ask yourself why they started winning on that day. Were they just hot like so many other teams since? It’s the same today. Ned Yost knows the answer and he knows his job is easy. He knew it in July of 2013.

Next: What About The Starters?