Royals Report: 5 Things About Falling Short Against Seattle

Jul 8, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon (4) is carted off the field after an injury against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

3) Alex Gordon Tore His Hamstring One Year Ago Today

One of the major turning points of the KC Royals championship season in 2015 occurred one year ago today, when Alex Gordon tore his hamstring chasing a deep drive into left field.

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The hit turned into an inside the park home run when Gordon crumpled to the turf and had to be removed from the field on a cart. Logan Forsythe‘s two-run job put the Tampa Bay Rays up 3-2 in the fourth inning. The Kansas City Royals ended up rallying to win the game 9-7, but lost Gordon for nearly two months.

Paulo Orlando and Jarrod Dyson did an admirable job filling in for Gordon over the next few weeks, but losing Gordon helped general manager Dayton Moore pull the trigger on trading for super-utility man Ben Zobrist from the Oakland A’s. The appeal of Zobrist was that he could fill in for Alex Gordon in the outfield until his return, whereupon he took over at second base for the disappointing Omar Infante.

Moore made this deal even after trading for Cincinnati ace Johnny Cueto. Those two moves gave KC the two best trade pieces on the market at the trading deadline. The pair ended up helping the KC Royals win their first title in 30 years.

Would Dayton Moore have dealt for Zobrist if Gordon hadn’t gotten injured? We’ll never know, but the odds had to be significantly less.

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