The Kansas City Royals have had a great start to the 2015 season, as they have the second best record in baseball at 10-3. The Royals do not have any superstars on their roster, but they find ways to win with their great team chemistry. There are no egos on this roster, and it never was more apparent than in this past weekend’s series against Oakland, throughout which the Royals proved that they would not stand down when challenged.
Kansas City vs. Oakland: Royals Will Not Stand Down
Brett Lawrie, Oakland’s uber-energetic third basemen, started the beef with a hard, unnecessary slide into Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar ,which knocked Escobar out of the game. The Royals retaliated Saturday, as Yordano Ventura hit Lawrie with a 99 mile-per-hour fastball, for which he was immediately ejected. It continued Sunday, when A’s starter Scott Kazmir hit Lorenzo Cain in the foot during the first inning. After the game, Kazmir said it wasn’t intentional, but Royals manager Ned Yost clearly disagreed; he got himself ejected when Kazmir stayed in the game. Things were relatively calm until the 8th inning, when Kelvin Herrera threw a 100 mile per hour fastball behind Lawrie. Like Ventura, he was immediately ejected. He pointed at his own head and reportedly told Lawrie that he would bean him the next time, as he left the field.
Lawrie is a lot of fun to watch and he does have potential to be a very good player, but he can’t be sliding into guys like he did on Friday. He could have seriously injured Escobar, and he would have still broken up the double play without the slide. He should also know that there will be retaliation for his actions, like getting thrown at, which is not really OK but it is undeniably a part of the game. He needs to drink a few less red bulls a day; just a few because his game involves a lot of energy, but it doesn’t need that much energy.
The Royals won Sundays game thanks to Cain’s game-tying two run double in the bottom of the eighth inning, and subsequently Kendrys Morales’ double, which drove Cain in. Kansas City’s ability to stay focused on the game and stand up for their teammates at the same time shows that the Royals will not be taking a back seat in the AL Central like many experts predicted. Team chemistry is not something that can be calculated or valued, but the Royals have it. Whatever they’re doing, they should just keep on doing it. If they do, they will be successful.
