KC Royals Wild Card Win Transformed Franchise Two Years Ago

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The KC Royals changed the course of the franchise with their wild card win over the Oakland A’s two years ago today. On September 30, 2014, Kansas City put an end to 29 years of failure with a victory for the ages.

96. 9. 7. Final. 8

I still get chills when I watch highlights from this 9-8 victory. It’s probably the most important single win in Kansas City Royals history. Seriously.

It’s hard to remember what being a KC Royals fan was like before that Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals hadn’t been relevant since winning the World Series in 1985. NINETEEN EIGHTY FIVE!

Ronald Reagan was president. Back To The Future was in theaters. Madonna was young and sexy. And most people didn’t own a home computer.

In short, it was an eternity ago.

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The biggest thing about being a Royals fan was living with failure. Kansas City fell out of contention by May in many seasons. The front office kept telling us to wait for prospects that rarely succeeded. And, when they did, they almost inevitably traded them away because they couldn’t afford to sign them.

It was baseball hell.

Just Winning The WIld Card Was A Big Success

At the time, just making the post-season was a major breakthrough. The thought of actually winning that wild card game seemed like gravy. Heck, Kansas City fans rocked Kauffman Stadium for the 2012 All-Star game. It was the first meaningful game in the City of Fountains in over 20 years. An actual playoff game would be great seasoning for an inexperienced Royals team that struggled with their confidence in 2014.

That’s the shocking thing to remember. That 2014 team had trouble believing in themselves because they knew nothing but failure at the major-league level. But, veteran mid-season signee Raul Ibanez to delivered a clubhouse speech after the team fell to 48-50 that helped his teammates believe in their own talent.

The KC Royals responded with a 41-23 second half finish that earned them the top wild card spot in the American league at 89-73.

Sep 30, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals fans celebrate after defeating the Oakland Athletics in the 2014 American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /

Kansas City’s First Playoff Game In 29-Years

The game did not begin well. Kansas City Royals ace James Shields gave up a two-run bomb to Josh Reddick in the first inning to put KC down 2-0. However, KC immediately struck back with Billy Butler‘s two-out RBI single to right to score Nori Aoki that cut the lead to 2-1.

Kansas City took the lead in the third inning on back-to-back two out hits. Lorenzo Cain golfed a double down the left field line to score Mike Moustakas from third. Eric Hosmer lunged at an outside pitch and blooped it to shallow left field to plate Cain. Suddenly, the KC Royals were leading the A’s 3-2.

Kauffman Stadium was rocking with a predatory roar that hadn’t been heard in 29 years.

The teams settled into a pitcher’s duel over the next two innings. Neither team scored and James Shield started the sixth needing only one more inning to hand a one-run lead to Kansas City’s three-headed bullpen monster of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, and Greg Holland.

Not only were the Royals PLAYING in a playoff game, they were darn close to WINNING it. Then disaster struck.

Disaster Strikes

Shields broke Sam Fuld‘s bat to lead off the sixth inning, but he lofted the ball into short right field in front of Nori Aoki. Oakland third baseman Josh Donaldson drew a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. At that moment, KC Royals manager Ned Yost made a curious decision. Rather than ask one of his premium relievers to go an extra-inning, he brought in flame-throwing rookie starter Yordano Ventura as a reliever.

Ventura had made only ONE relief appearance in his professional career, which was in a game immediately preceding the 2014 All-Star break. Ventura did possess the hardest average fastball in the game among starting pitchers that season, but he was also a rookie in his first playoff game asked to fill an unfamiliar role.

Ventura immediately threw two balls to fall behind in the count to designated hitter Brandon Moss. He then tried to blow a fastball by Moss. Instead, he blasted it into the right field seats for a devastating three-run home run. Oakland now led 5-3.

Ned Yost had made a mistake he would repeat many times over the next two years. He tried to win a game using half-measures rather than aggressively deploying his best bullpen assets.

Yost brought in Kelvin Herrera to relieve Ventura, but the damage was already done. The A’s smelled blood and scored twice more against Herrera to take command 7-3.

Kauffman Stadium fell silent.

The Wake

It really felt like a wake for the 2014 season. For five innings, the Kansas City Royals had played a playoff caliber opponent and looked like they could win. Reality had apparently set in with Oakland’s crushing rally in the sixth. Watching on TV at home, I felt destined to spend all winter thinking that the KC Royals fell three outs short of a trip to the American League Division Series.

I wasn’t the only one. All of Kauffman Stadium waited for the end.

Aug 13, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals designated hitter Billy Butler (16) connects for a single in the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

The Rally Begins

The score remained the same until Kansas City came to the plate in the bottom of the eighth. It was then that the Royals pulled off a rally that changed the trajectory of the franchise. Something clicked inside of the minds of the young KC core. They realized that there was no tomorrow.

According to the Kansas City Star, Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, and Jarrod Dyson kept saying:

“There’s no way we lose this game.” “Not tonight” “We are not losing this game.”

So many times players say things like that and it means nothing. It’s just one final objection before acceptance of a painful outcome. The KC Royals had managed only one hit since their third inning rally. ESPN estimated their chances to win the game at a mere 3% at the end of the seventh inning,

By any rational measure, Kansas CIty just wasn’t going to rally. No team in baseball history had ever overcome a four-run deficit in the eighth inning or later to win an elimination game.

Then shortstop Alcides Escobar chopped a single up the middle to open the eighth inning. Kauffman Stadium responded with a smattering of applause. It was nice. But, no one really believed it mattered. At least the Royals were still fighting.

An Unusual Move

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Escobar then did something rather unusual: down four runs he stole second base. Conventional baseball wisdom in that situation holds that you don’t risk giving up an out on the base paths when you need a big inning. But, Kansas City was 14th in runs scored in the 15-team AL in 2014. They needed to manufacture runs. Plus, Oakland’s best defensive catcher Giovanni Soto had left the game with an injury early on. His replacement Derek Norris couldn’t contain the speedy KC base-runners.

So, the Royals decided to take full advantage of their strength. If they were going to go down, they’d do it playing Kansas City Royals baseball.

The 2014 KC Royals ranked dead last in major league baseball in home runs. Sitting around and waiting for the big blow wasn’t a good idea. If the Kansas City Royals were going to come back, they would have to manufacture runs any way they could.

Nori Aoki moved Escobar to third by dribbling a slow grounder to short. Then a deep rumble of “Let’s Go Royals!” washed across Kauffman Stadium. Just a little belief began to simmer deep in our bellies, because a run with a man on third and one out seemed rather likely.

Sep 30, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas (8) sprays champagne toward fans after the 2014 American League Wild Card playoff baseball game against the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

The Rally Continues

Instead, Lorenzo Cain slapped a sharp grounder up the middle to score Escobar. And then, the crowd woke up. Billy Butler entered the on deck circle as the potential tying run. Eric Hosmer stood at the plate, and a comeback stopped seeming impossible.

Hosmer drove a grounder down the first base line that glanced off the glove of Oakland first baseman Stephen Vogt. KC first base coach Rusty Kuntz emphatically pointed fair as the ball passed Vogt. But, Kauffman Stadium’s roar turned into boos as the first base umpire ruled foul. Eric Hosmer pointed inside the line and then pointed at his eyes while looking at the umpire. It felt like the A’s had dodged a bullet.

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Then Lorenzo Cain stole second accompanied by a jubilant roar from the home crowd. The tide had turned and everyone had sensed it. The Kansas City Royals were the hunters, and the Oakland A’s were their prey. Hosmer, who was still at the plate, walked.

Jon Lester Departs

Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin then relieved starter Jon Lester in favor of Luke Gregerson with one out in the eighth. But, he couldn’t stop the rally. Billy Butler smacked a single into the right-center gap to score Lorenzo Cain and move Hosmer to third.

Now the score was 7-5 as the Kauffman Stadium crowd celebrated. Pinch runner Terrance Gore, a 5’7″ speedster who had been called up from AA NW Arkansas just to run, stole second to put the tying run in scoring position.

At this point, the fans were standing at Kauffman Stadium and cheering every pitch.

Sep 30, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost (3) celebrates with his team after they defeated the Oakland Athletics in the 2014 American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

The Greatest Inning In Royals History

Gregerson threw a slider down and in to Alex Gordon. The errant pitch glanced off catcher Derek Norris’ glove and rolled to the backstop. Hosmer scored from third base and Gore advanced to third with one out.

The Royals had closed the seemingly impossible four-run gap to a mere one run. With only one out, I was SURE the KC Royals would tie up the game. All of the momentum was on their side.

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Gordon walked and swiped second for the fourth stolen base of the inning. Royals fans were cheering non-stop at this point, many waving dark blue towels. Now the LEAD run was in scoring position with only one out.

But, Gregerson then struck out both Salvador Perez and Omar Infante to end the threat. Oakland still led 7-6, but the Kansas City Royals were now very much back in the game.

To my mind, this is the greatest inning in KC Royals history. Yes, I think this inning is even better than their five-run rally in Game 4 of the 2015 ALDS to overcome another four-run, eighth inning deficit. Yes, the Royals won the World Series in 2015 and also faced elimination in that game against Houston. But, without this inning, I don’t think the Royals have enough self-belief to win the 2015 World Series.

They gained that unshakable confidence in this inning.

The A’s Came To Play

What made this game epic is that the A’s had come to play. Oakland general manager Billy Beane had built eight playoff teams without wining the AL pennant. On July 31, the A’s had the best record in the American League at 66-41. However, that wasn’t good enough for Billy Beane. He decided to reshape his roster for the playoffs.

Beane traded for Boston starting pitcher Jon Lester and outfielder Jonny Gomes in return for cleanup hitter Yoenis Cespedes. To replace Cespedes in the outfield, he also traded starting pitcher Tommy Milone to the Twins for Sam Fuld.

Earlier in the month, Beane had landed starters Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Cubs.

In many ways, Beane’s moves seemed to back fire. The A’s finished 22-33 and watched the Angels overtake them for the AL West title. Oakland went from the best record in baseball to the last qualifier for the AL playoffs. Even so, many analysts considered them the most talented team in the playoffs.

Holding The Fort

KC Royals manager Ned Yost went to closer Greg Holland to hold the A’s in the ninth inning.

Holland began by striking out former Royal Coco Crisp, but then walked Sam Fuld. Dangerous no. 3 hitter Josh Donaldson lined out to left. But, Fuld advanced to scoring position on a passed ball by Gold Glove catcher Salvador Perez.

Holland then issued an intentional walk to cleanup hitter Brandon Moss. However, Josh Reddick also drew a walk to load the bases. But, Holland retired Jed Lowrie on a soft liner into the right-center gap.

The Kansas City Royals came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth needing at least one run to stave off elimination. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in his closer Sean Dolittle to pitch Oakland into the American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels.

Tying It Up In The Ninth

The Kauffman Stadium crowd stood to begin the inning. Late-season acquisition Josh Willingham lofted a single to the right field corner. Alcides Escobar advanced pinch runner Jarrod Dyson to second with a bunt. Then Dyson stole third to the roars of jubilant KC Royals fans.

Now they could sense the tying run coming home with only one out in the inning.

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Right fielder Nori Aoki didn’t disappoint by lofting a deep fly to right field that easily scored Dyson. As Dyson came into a crazed Kansas City dugout, Eric Hosmer greeted him with what my amateur lip reading interpreted as, “That’s all fucking YOU!”

Lorenzo Cain lined out to end the inning, but the party was on in Kansas City. The Royals had just done the impossible by stealing and slapping their way to four runs in two innings. We were now going to get to see our team fight to advance in extra innings.

And, Kansas City Royals fans across the country KNEW that this team was something very different than what they had seen in the miserable past.

Aug 11, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals mascot Sluggerrr waves a flag after the game against the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City won the game 3-2. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /

Extra Innings

In the top of the 10th, Ned Yost handed the ball to rookie lefty reliever Brandon Finnegan. The Royals had drafted Finnegan in the first round of the 2014 June draft. He later became the first player in major-league history to play in both the College World Series and the Major-League World Series in the same season.

On this night, Yost was asking a rookie to hold down the A’s to help a team that hadn’t won a post-season game in 29 years stave off elimination.

Finnegan didn’t disappoint. He held the A’s scoreless over the next two innings, striking out three. Unfortunately, the KC Royals also failed to score in the next two innings, despite advancing the winning run to second with one out in both frames.

The game continued into the 12th. Finnegan still remained on the mound to pitch one more inning.

The A’s Take The Lead

However, Finnegan walked Josh Reddick to begin the 12th. Jed Lowrie laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the lead run to second. That’s when Yost pulled Finnegan in favor of 38-year-old veteran reliever Jason Frasor.

Oakland inserted former Kansas City Royals infielder Alberto Callaspo into the game as a pinch hitter. Reddick advanced to third on a wild pitch. Callaspo then did what the Royals failed to do in the 10th and 11th innings: he stroked a single to score a runner from second base.

Yes, the run quieted the crowd. Everyone knew that the KC Royals were in danger of losing despite their historic comeback. But, at home, I truly felt that it wasn’t over. Not after the rallies in the eighth and ninth innings.

Sep 30, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) reacts after hitting a walk-off single against the Oakland Athletics during the twelfth inning of the 2014 American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /

Winning The Game

Eric Hosmer proved me right. With one out in the bottom of the 12th, he slammed a high drive off the left-center wall. Oakland left fielder Jonny Gomes collided with center fielder Sam Fuld as they both strained to catch the ball and failed. The ball, instead, rolled back toward the outfield grass as Gomes ran after it.

Eric Hosmer cruised into third base standing up before Gomes could return the ball to the infield.

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That’s when I knew. The Royals were going to win this game.

Christian Colon chopped a high bouncer to third that ended up becoming an infield single. Hosmer belly flopped into home plate with the tying run as Josh Donaldson failed to make a barehand grab.

Alex Gordon popped out to Donaldson in foul territory behind third. Then Oakland brought in righty Jason Hammel to pitch to Salvador Perez. Colon swiped second for the KC Royals sixth stolen base after the seventh inning. He took the base despite the A’s calling for a pitch out. Unfortunately for Oakland, the ball popped out of catcher Derek Norris’s glove.

Kansas City’s seven stolen bases in the game set a playoff record.

Perez slammed a hard ground that tailed away from the diving Josh Donaldson at third base to easily score the winning run. The KC Royals had done it! They had won their first playoff game in 29 years by staging a historic comeback.

Kauffman Stadium exploded with joy. The Oakland A’s stared at the field in disbelief as the Kansas City Royals piled into a happy scrum in the outfield grass behind second base. Hall-Of-Famer, and team vice president, George Brett held the back of his head with both hands and stared in wonder as he watched in a sport coat from above.

This One Miracle Transformed A Franchise

At the point, I thought that miracle victory was enough. Just that one win had made the season a roaring success no matter what happened with the Angels in the ALDS.

I, however, underestimated what this game had done to the Kansas City Royals. In four hours and 45 minutes, a young team transformed from a playoff neophyte into a supremely confident post-season monster.

The Royals swept both the Angels (who had the best regular season record in baseball with 98 wins) and Orioles to win the AL pennant. Though the KC Royals lost the 2014 World Series to the San Francisco Giants, they pushed the champions to the brink by putting the tying run on third base at the end of Game 7.

In 2015, the Kansas City Royals won the World Series while staging a major-league record eight post-season comeback wins. That run included three late-inning rallies against New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia.

They had become the never say die Royals.

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All of that success, however, was rooted that crazy wild card game at the end of September 2014.

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