KC Royals: Top 5 moments from September 2019

As the KC Royals progressed through the season, the negatives piled high, but there can be some positives found throughout the season to provide hope.

The KC Royals headed into September with likely one thing on their mind, trying to stay away from 100 loses again. Unfortunately, the team began the month with a 49-89 record and looked to reach the 100 mark for the second season in a row.

The team did hit 100 losses, though later in the season than some may have imagined, on September 22 with only a few games left in the season. In September, the Royals managed an 11-14 record, recording the most wins of any month during the season along with July, and having the best win percentage (.440), other than March with its 3 games.

Likely due to the desire to not lose 100 games, the Royals started to make some things click in September, driving up some hopes for the 2020 season. There was also likely some fire put under many players when multiple announcements gained steam or came to light, specifically the sale of the team and the retirement of long-time manager Ned Yost.

With the team understanding there would be a change in ownership and management, it can be assumed most players wanted to leave a good impression as a lot of jobs are up for grabs on a team with 100 loses.

But still, September brought some positives. History was written, debuts were seen from players of the future like Ryan McBroom and Gabe Speier, and goodbyes were said. Luckily for fans, the Royals sent September and the season out on a good note.

One player made it rain home runs and finally showed the KC Royals and it’s fans what his worth is, making history on the team.

In doing a top 5 moments each month series, it’s likely that one could almost find 5 moments from every month that include Jorge Soler. Soler had a great year with the KC Royals and he instilled hope in many fans, proving that the team was right to bring him over in a trade that saw veteran Wade Davis off to Chicago.

Soler had that chip on his shoulder, knowing that he was supposed to be something special. In 2019, Soler proved his worth, and in September, his work finally brought him to the point of history.

On September 3, with runners on the corners and a 2-2 pitch coming from the mound, Soler sent a ball flying and recorded his 39th home run of the season.

Just a few days earlier, Soler had tied the record of 38 previously set by Mike Moustakas. Moustakas was happy to his record broken and had some kind words of congratulations to say to Soler.

Just a day after his 39th, Soler would send another ball into the stands hitting 40, breaking his own record again. Soler continued this trend through the month and found himself breaking his own record, again and again, solidifying his place in Royals history and in the future hopes of the franchise.

One pitcher saw a change with the KC Royals in 2019 but was able to adapt to the different role and provide a consistency the team desperately needed.

When Ian Kennedy joined the KC Royals, the plan was likely not for him to end up in the bullpen. Kennedy was added to the rotation to bring a long term veteran presence and bulk up the team coming off of World Series win.

Unfortunately for Kennedy, the road was rough. He held an ERA of 3.68 with an 11-11 record in 2016, but only regressed from there. 2017-2018 brought only losing records for the veteran and peaking ERAs, hitting 5.38 in 2017, and climbing back down to the still high 4.66 in 2018.

If the Royals wanted to continue utilizing the once consistent starter, something had to change. In 2019, the decision was made to move Kennedy out of a starting role, and into a bullpen spot. Kennedy started the season out a bit rocky, but eventually worked into his new role and found his new home as a closer.

Once Kennedy was secure in the closing spot, he got to work. He saw a rise in his strikeouts per 9 rate to 10.4, his walks per nine decreased to 2.4 and his ERA settled back down, coming in at 3.41 on the season.

Kennedy had found his role, and on September 16th, Kennedy joined a small class of pitchers when he recorded his 30th save of the season. Kennedy joined Derek Lowe, Dennis Eckersley, and John Smoltz as the only pitchers to record a 20 win season and 30 save season during their careers.

While the plan may not have been for Kennedy to move to the bullpen, he adapted well in a move that gave the Royals some hope and helped them to record some wins.

For one last game in 2019, the KC Royals put together a good show and sent manager Ned Yost out on a perfect note.

On September 29th, the KC Royals, along with the rest of the MLB started their last games of the regular season. The Royals were on a 3 game losing streak that saw them reach 103 loses. With one more, they would see the same 104 they racked up in the previous season.

The team wouldn’t go down without a fight, though. The Twins got up quickly, putting 3 on the board in the first innings and setting the tone for the game. Jorge Soler tried to get things going with a  run in the first, but the Royals were unable to keep moving.

A two-run third 4th tied the game at 3 but the Twins Jason Castro sent a home run into the stands, putting his team up by 1. Ryan O’Hearn created some interest when he batted in Hunter Dozier in the 8th, tying the game again at 4, but the Royals were still unable to keep the momentum going.

Finally, in the bottom of the ninth, Humberto Arteaga led off the innings with a double to left, followed by a single form Nick Dini, moving Arteaga to third. On a 1-2 pitch, Brett Phillips sent a sacrifice fly to right, bringing in Arteaga, and securing a Royals win.

While the win was a great way to send off the 2019 season, the win meant a little more to the team. The Royals were able to battle through and crank out a fun, difficult win for manager Ned Yost during his last major league game.

This game was likely emotional for many players, and for Yost as well, making it a top moment of September.

The KC Royals slugger never let up and kept hitting dingers until the season was over, knocking one last home run into the stands during the final game of the season.

As was said earlier, Jorge Soler could likely find his way into all top 5 moments of each month for the 2019 season. It would have been easy to just fill up the first portion of this article with everything Soler accomplished but to do these accomplishments justice, it’s important that they are given their due respect.

The fifth top moment of September that was discussed on the recent slide. Soler’s last home run of the season. This was home run number 48 and was incredibly important for many reasons. As discussed, Soler had managed to rake number 39 at the beginning of September and set a new Royals single-season record.

He did even more by hitting 40 as the first Royal to do so and set the bar 10 home runs higher than the previous mark. In doing this, Soler also passed the rest of the American League in home runs, securing his spot as the AL Home Run King for 2019.

It doesn’t stop there, though, with home run 48, Soler became the record holder for most single-season home runs by a Cuban-born player, an accomplishment that should not be looked over.

This is why home run 48 in the last game of the season was so important. It could have been lumped in with everything else Soler did over the season or the month, but it holds so much with it that it deserves to be a top moment of September.

Now that we’ve taken a look back at the great moments of the season, it’s time to start looking towards the future to see what the 2020 season might bring, and what top moments are to come.