Travis Isgro

Professor

Applegate
Essay #1, 500 words
English 110
The Kansas City Royals have been coming in last in the central division for
the past 28 seasons. Ever since the last time the Royals won in 1985, every team in
their division has been to the world series. This introduces the change of how
baseball was restored in the western part of Missouri. Kansas City is 239 miles away
from St Louis, where the Cardinals have been the Yankees of Missouri. They have
eleven championships in baseball, which is second behind the New York Yankees.
The bright future for Kanas city has just got a bit more exciting in Missouri, like the
way it is now in New York for the Mets.
In 2014, the Royals clinched home field advantage for the single elimination
wild card game. The team trailing 7-3 against Oakland with five outs to go the
Kanas City found a way to force extra innings. The Athletics made it 8-7 in the 12 th
but that did not stop these Royals who found a way to tie the game again in the
bottom of the 12th inning.
The Royals ended up walking off into the American Divisional round thanks to
a walk off hit from Salvador Perez. The best of five series involved baseballs best
record 98 and 64, which were the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. That did not
phase Kanas City at all, in fact the Royals swept the Angels to advance into the

American League Championship. Kansas City already four and zero in these
playoffs wasnt finished just yet.
The Royals then completed a four game sweep against the Baltimore Orioles,
sending the Kanas City Royals to the World Series! Going seven and zero in the
American League after just being five outs away from losing the wild card game
against Oakland is simply amazing. The Royals found themselves just 4 wins away
from a World Series Championship. This has not happened since the year 1985.
After already beating two teams from California, the Royals found their third
California opponent, the San Francisco Giants. The champions from the National
League had their ups and downs during the season, only getting into the playoffs as
the second wild card team. They also had to play a one game playoff game against
Pittsburgh, similar to Kanas Citys showdown against Oakland, however this what
not a close game. The Giants rolled over the Pirates, the Nationals and the
Cardinals. This was going to give baseball a great competitive world series.
The series went all seven games and the Giants had a 3-2 lead in the 9 th
inning with the World Series MVP on the mound, their ace Madison Bumgarner. Alex
Gordon fired a triple with one out in the inning. Sadly, no one could get him in and
there it stood just 90 feet away from tying the game; the Royals were left with the
sour taste of defeat. In game 7 with a runner on third in the bottom of the ninth,
this was the roadblock preventing a potential comeback for a second World Series.
The next season Kanas City was even better, they finished first in their
division and won the American League for the second straight season. Facing the
New York Mets in the 2015 World Series, Kanas City took both home games before
heading to New York for three games. They lost game 3, but won game 4 and were

one win away from winning the World Series. They were the hardest team to put
away making a late comeback in the 9th inning knocking out starter Matt Harvey and
eventually handing Jeurys Familia a blown save. Their bullpen did their part in extra
inning and the Royals finally blew the game open in the top of 12 th, scoring five runs
to make it 7-2. The Kanas City Royals closed the deal in the 12 th inning winning their
first World Series since 1985, which was one year before the New York Mets in 1986.