While enjoying postseason baseball has become commonplace for St. Louis Cardinals’ fans in recent years, those cheering for the Kansas City Royals have not been as fortunate. Until this year. And in Springfield, where Cardinals fans tend to outnumber that of its cross-state rivals, royal blue is a popular color these days. KSMU’s Briana Simmons has more.
Rylee Leiber, a senior finance major at Missouri State University, was raised a Royals fan, as her father would take her to games in Royals onesies.
Leiber said she watched every minute of Tuesday’s Wild Card playoff game against the Oakland A’s and couldn’t control herself upon its conclusion.
“It was so exciting. I live in an apartment and when they finally won I was running around my apartment screaming and shouting. My brother kept telling me to be quiet because I was going to wake the neighbors, but I couldn’t contain my excitement,” Leiber said.
While many watched the game on TV, Eli Wohlenhaus experienced the game firsthand at Kauffman Stadium.
Since he was 9-years old, the MSU journalism major and his close friend have traveled to a Royals game at least once a year. He said this time the stadium atmosphere was like never before.
“People were loud. People had a good time. And when you go to games during the season you don’t always see a full stadium. Absolutely did Tuesday night - everyone came together in that moment -there’s a lot of bitterness after 29 years of not making the playoffs but making the playoffs will get you to the game, ” Wohlenhaus said.
Tensions were high the entire game, as the Royals fought back from a 4-run deficit to send it to extra innings. Wohlenhaus relives the final at-bat in the 12th inning that sent the Royals to the American League Division series.
“What’s great about baseball that makes it different from other sports like basketball and football is if you score at the buzzer you react when that score happens, but with baseball you get to watch the game winning play develop. The hit and then it gets past third and you’re screaming your head off, the players run on the field, and you’re hugging people you’ve never met before because you’re so excited that your team has done it,” Wohlenhaus said.
Connor Blinzler, from Kansas City, is a sophomore criminology criminal justice major and a childhood Royals fan. Perhaps his most treasured memory is the time he got to meet and play catch with Hall of Famer George Brett, a name synonymous with the great Royals teams of the 1980s.
He had nearly given up on Tuesday’s game in the 7th inning. But when the Royals began to close the deficit he rushed home to watch what would happen next.
“It was so awesome to see it happen on TV much less it would have been awesome to be there. I went wild. My neighbors thought someone was breaking in or something because I was running around yelling and screaming. It was so cool to see that happen,” Blinzler said.
“I think that’s what was really special for Royals fans because it was exciting we got there to the playoffs but it’s more that we get to go further,” Wohlenhaus said.
The Royals began the best of a five-game series Thursday against the L.A. Angels.