Royals shine at ASG
Dalton Vitt
We’ve known for weeks that the Royals would be well-represented at Tuesday night’s All-Star Game in Cincinnati. And yet, somehow, certain moments still felt surreal when it came to Kansas City’s heroes performing under the brightest lights.
Lorenzo Cain blasted a hard double down the left-field line, Alcides Escobar punched a single off the world’s best pitcher, Wade Davis’ cutter whipped across the plate like a broken Frisbee and, in the most gut-wrenching case, Sal Perez faced Madison Bumgarner for the first time since Game 7 of the 2014 World Series.
(Of course, Mike Moustakas had his own overmatched moment, waving at Aroldis Chapman fastballs like someone swinging a spaghetti noodle at a bullet. But let’s just ignore that part.)
Maybe the biggest difference between watching this year’s Midsummer Classic compared to years past, from the lens of a Royals fan, was knowing how much this one might matter.
Even though KC had home-field advantage in last season’s World Series, no one really expected the team to make that kind of run during the 2014 All-Star Game. One year ago, the impact of the All-Star Game didn’t feel so vital.
But with Tuesday night’s first pitch, it was overwhelmingly different. The outcome of this year’s star-studded on-field parade means a great deal in the long-term hopes of the Royals, which lead the American League as we head into the second half.
It felt wrong to fist pump when Brian Dozier, who’s leading the Twins surprising charge, dropped a homer over the left-center wall. Wishing Miguel Cabrera was healthy and available to boost the AL’s offense seemed especially odd. Rooting for Zack Greinke (whom Royals fans should adore) to implode in the first couple of innings was a little sad.
When it comes down to the opportunity of gaining an advantage in the World Series, cheering for rivals and cursing former Kansas City icons becomes an insufferable but necessary practice.
Cain’s double extended the AL’s lead to 3-1, and from there, it felt eerily like an actual Royals game. Pick up a slim lead, build on it in the late innings, hand things over to a dominant bullpen and shake hands. Watching Ned Yost’s American Leaguers pass the pill from Dellin Betances to Wade Davis to Glen Perkins was seemingly unfair to most fans, but it’s nearly the norm for Kansas Citians.
But the most memorable moment from Tuesday’s contest was the nine-pitch Perez-Bumgarner showdown. The worst part — including the eventual strikeout — was the replay of Perez’s Game 7 popout to Pablo Sandoval for the final out of the World Series, giving San Francisco its third title in five seasons. Not to get overly personal, but it was the first time I’ve watched the play since it happened live last October.
Watching a repeat of the fateful matchup, as painful as it was, gave some closure to Royals fans who watched Perez strand Gordon on third, trailing by one run, against one of the greatest pitching performances in postseason history.
To any non-Royals or Giants fans, it was just another at-bat. But for anyone with a vested interest in how last season’s final game played out, it was a moment frozen in time, another battle won by Bumgarner with all of baseball looking on.
Regardless of what happened in the vacuum of one nightmare-inducing at-bat, Kansas City, along with the rest of the American League, came out as winners Tuesday night.
It was incredible to watch an All-Star Game that felt like it had greater importance than pure entertainment value, and it was exciting to have a real rooting interest in something that Kansas Citians normally didn’t have to care about in years past.
The Royals hold home-field advantage in the World Series thanks in part to contributions from their own players.
Now they just have to get there.
