{"id":46351,"date":"2016-05-29T11:20:24","date_gmt":"2016-05-29T16:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/?p=46351"},"modified":"2016-11-03T13:38:19","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T18:38:19","slug":"latest-royals-comeback-the-best-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/2016\/05\/29\/latest-royals-comeback-the-best-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"Latest Royals Comeback: The Best Yet"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kansas City Royals have made a name for themselves over the past 3 years for epic, heart stopping, and mind-blowing comebacks that leave their opponents shaking their heads. <\/span><\/p>\n

But on Saturday against the White Sox, the Royals just might have taken things to another level entirely, coming back from a 7-1 deficit in the bottom of the 9th inning and committing highway robbery versus Chicago.<\/span><\/p>\n

The question has naturally been raised: Was this the best comeback we\u2019ve seen from these Royals? First, let\u2019s take a step back and appreciate the other two moments that Kansas City\u2019s seven run 9th inning is being compared to.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Wild Card Game versus Oakland, and Game 4 of the ALDS at Houston. <\/span><\/p>\n

September 30th, 2014: The Wild Card Game<\/b><\/p>\n

Kansas City was making their first playoff appearance since 1985 (that\u2019s 29 years prior) and had the luxury of playing\u00a0the one game elimination at home. Things started off promisingly enough, with the Royals responding to an early two run home run via the bat of Brandon Moss by taking the lead, 3-2, in the 3rd inning.<\/p>\n

And then the 6th inning came. Starter James Shields allowed the first two hitters of the inning to reach base, and the game was hanging in the balance. Manager Ned Yost decided to pull Shields in favor of a rookie Yordano Ventura. <\/span><\/p>\n

Then this happened (skip to 0:55):<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6GEE7VdZmps<\/a><\/p>\n

Boom. With one swing of the bat, the young, inexperienced Royals were crushed, and it seemed like their first playoff appearance in nearly thirty years would end in a whimper. <\/span><\/p>\n

Oakland would go on to add two more runs in the 6th inning to go up 7-3. The Royals would go quietly on offense in the 6th and 7th innings, and things were looking bleak. Jon Lester was on the mound for the Athletics, a pitcher who was very well known by Royals fans for his domination of Kansas City. In 2008, Lester threw a no hitter against the Royals when he was a member of the Boston Red Sox.<\/span><\/p>\n

Going into the 8th inning, with 6 outs left in their season and Lester still going strong, the Royals had just a 2.9% chance of advancing to the ALDS, and a date with the Los Angeles Angels. <\/span><\/p>\n

What happened next would be nothing short of incredible. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Royals broke through against Lester, including a pair of singles by Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain (driving in Escobar) and an Eric Hosmer walk. They scored a run against the ace before he gave way to Luke Gregerson (who will come up again later) with a couple of men on base. Gregerson proved unable to strand the runners, as Billy Butler knocked home Cain with a single, and Eric Hosmer managed to score on a wild pitch. Oakland led 7-6 after 8 innings.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the 9th, late season acquisition Josh Willingham got things started with a single after pinch hitting for Mike Moustakas. Jarrod Dyson pinch ran, and was able to steal third base with one out, setting up this situation to tie the game for Nori Aoki:<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vRcLziLUz7Y<\/a><\/p>\n

The improbable comeback was complete. After being down 4 runs, with one of the best pitchers in baseball (and a Royals killer) on the opposite bump, and having only 6 outs left in the season, Kansas City changed their destiny and went on to win the Wild Card game in 12 innings on a Salvador Perez single past Josh Donaldson and into left field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=uA8cG4W11OQ<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October 12th, 2015: Game 4 of the ALDS<\/b><\/p>\n

After losing in Game 7 of the World Series in 2014, the Royals entered the 2015 season with World Series or bust expectations. Not once over the course of the playoffs in 2015 did those expectations look more in jeopardy than this very afternoon in Houston.<\/p>\n

Actually, \u201cin jeopardy\u201d would be underselling it quite a bit. The Royals were down 2-1 in the best of 5 series, and were facing elimination on the road. Similar to the Wild Card game, things started out well enough for the Royals, who scored two runs early in the 2nd inning on a Salvador Perez home run, capturing\u00a0a 2-0 lead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XdZbR29Ttig<\/a><\/p>\n

From innings 3-7, the Royals would manage only\u00a0one hit, as Astros starter Lance McCullers simply dominated the Kansas City lineup.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Royals starter Yordano Ventura would go on to give up a solo homer in the 2nd and 3rd innings at the hands of Carlos Gomez and Carlos Correa respectively. The lead was ultimately taken by the Astros in the bottom of the 5th inning after Correa doubled home George Springer. Ventura\u2019s night was done after 5, and the Royals trailed 3-2.<\/span><\/p>\n

And then the disaster in the bottom of the 7th.<\/span><\/p>\n

Royals relief pitcher Ryan Madson, who had an ERA of just 2.13 in 2015, completely collapsed. Madson gave\u00a0up 4 hits, serving up a two run homer to Carlos Correa, and a solo shot to Colby Rasmus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n