KC Royals: Rally-Mantis Gives An Offensive Boost

The KC Royals are no different than many baseball squads. Lucky charms are nothing new to one of the most superstitious group of athletes. Rally caps may date back as far as the late 1970s in Texas. The Rally Monkey debuted in California in 2000 and continues to be a hit among Angels’ fans.

An insect may have seemed an unlikely talisman, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The Kansas City Royals entered the Toronto series with the worst record in baseball since the All-Star game. Friday’s 4-3 loss to the Jays looked to be the beginning of another losing series.

Then a large praying mantis showed up in the KC Royals’ dugout for Saturday evening’s game against Toronto. That game featured two of baseball’s best pitchers, including Toronto’s Aaron Sanchez, who had posted a 10-0 record since a loss to Oakland way back on April 22. With another solid outing from Danny Duffy, a pair of RBIs from Eric Hosmer, and big hits from Cheslor Cuthbert and Raul Mondesi, Jr., Kansas City snapped a 3-game skid and handed Sanchez his first loss in months.

The legend of the Rally-Mantis was born. And it nearly ended that night, suffering a near-fatal accident while climbing on the shoulder of Kansas City Royals Vice President of Communications and Broadcasting Mike Swanson. Cameras caught Swanson violently removing the bug from the back of his neck. The worst was assumed.

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Heading into Sunday’s series finale against the Jays, mantis fans around the nation learned that Rally-Mantis had, in fact, survived the night and was still in the Kansas City Royals dugout. A few hours later, the effects were apparent: an offensive outburst, including a grand slam from Kendrys Morales, pushed the KC Royals to a 7-1 win to take the series.

In all seriousness, the praying mantis never donned a helmet and a bat. It never threw a breaking ball against Toronto’s powerful lineup. It did provide some comic relief for a team that has struggled to produce in recent weeks. The seven runs in Sunday’s win were the most since a 7-5 win against Anaheim on July 27. The KC Royals scored seven or more runs just three times in July. Saturday’s win against the Jays ended a streak of nine games in which Kansas City scored three runs or fewer.

That the mantis arrived just in time for the KC Royals to beat one of the best pitching staffs in the American League gave fans something to latch onto. That’s hardly a new phenomenon in Kansas City. In the 2014 run to Game 7 of the World Series, the Kansas City Royals got a little luck with the arrival of South Korean superfan Sung Woo Lee. The KC Royals went 9-1 with Lee in attendance.

Prior to Lee, there was barbecue sauce. In June 2013, Billy Butler’s Hit it a Ton Sauce became the lucky charm as Kansas City put together a 6-game win streak, helping the team to its first winning season since 2003.

Baseball players have always been and will always be among the most superstitious athletes. That stereotype is only furthered by characters like Dennis Haysbert’s Pedro Cerrano in “Major League,” and Tim Robbins’ Nuke LaLoosh in “Bull Durham.” Both players had over-the-top superstitions.

Next: Danny Duffy Helps KC Break Losing Streak

With a 53-58 record heading into the final two months of the season, KC Royals players and fans will hang onto whatever object seems to bring a little luck. Still eight games back of Cleveland and Detroit in the division, and eight games back from a wild card spot, here’s to hoping that Rally-Mantis is still around when the White Sox come to town on Tuesday.

[Update: Rally-Mantis is now housed in a shoebox in the Kansas City Royals clubhouse]