Game 22 Thread: Brewers vs Royals Finale

Short two-game series against the Brew Crew.

Despite the seeming eons of time between stretches of relevance for the Kansas City Royals, the Milwaukee Brewers are evidence that Royals fans don’t have it so bad. While the Royals only have two playoff appearances in the previous 32 seasons, the Brewers have only been to the playoffs twice in their last 35 seasons. Both the Brewers (as the Seattle Pilots) and the Royals were 1969 expansion teams, but while Kansas City has nine playoff appearances, four league pennants, and two championships, Milwaukee has four playoff appearances, only one league pennant, and is still chasing their first World Series win.

It’s not just the Brewers that the Royals have beat in regards to postseason success. Eleven MLB teams either haven’t ever won a World Series or haven’t won one since before 1985, and an additional six teams haven’t won a World Series since before the 1994 strike.

The Royals were soundly defeated yesterday, and will continue to be soundly defeated more often than anybody will be comfortable with this year. But when you back up a bit and see the franchise in a historical context, it helps the pain a little.

Today’s starter will be Jason Hammel, in his quest to accrue enough value to be traded to a good team in July.

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The Brewers will counter with a lineup that includes Lorenzo Cain and Manny Pina—yes, that Manny Pina who played in five games for the Royals in 2011 and 2012 and who became a cromulent backup catcher because someone gave him a chance.

Go...Royals? Lorenzo Cain? It feels better rooting for the other team when an old friend is on it.