Kansas City Royals: Top Moments of 2017 Season

8.) Mike Moustakas Participates in Home Run Derby

After a remarkable first half of the season, Moustakas entered the All-Star break with 25 home runs. It not only allowed him to win the Final Vote for the second time in three years, but also landed Moose a spot in the Home Run Derby.

The third baseman became the first Kansas City Royals player to participate in the derby since Danny Tartabull in 1991. Moustakas faced Miguel Sano in the first round of the bracket format.

Sano hit 11 home runs to start things off. Moose followed with just 10 to get eliminated. Sano went on to reach the final, ironically, losing by an 11-10 score to Aaron Judge.

The following night, Moustakas finished 0 for 2 in the Midsummer Classic. Salvador Perez also represented the Kansas City Royals, starting at catcher and also finishing 0 for 2. On the mound, Jason Vargas pitched one scoreless inning. He allowed one hit but, fittingly, didn’t strike out a batter.

Even still, the highlight of the week for Royals fans was getting to see Moustakas take part in the Home Run Derby. The event, which has begun to eclipse the All-Star Game itself in some ways, has only featured three Kansas City Royals players—Bo Jackson (1989), Tartabull and Moose.

Hopefully, it won’t take 26 more years for a Royal to make it back.