What Went Wrong: Witt-less
The Kansas City Royals' dream postseason became a nightmare for one of their players
The 2024 Kansas City Royals' season has to be up there as one of the biggest turnarounds in baseball history. Think about it. Last year, this team lost 106 games. Worst record in baseball. They caught lightning in a bottle this year, and ended up winning 86 games--a 30-game improvement from last year. The Royals were in the playoff race from jumpstreet, and got in during the final week of the season, an absolutely amazing feat.
This was their first postseason since winning it all in 2015, and they did manage to make the most of it with a Wild Card Series sweep against the Baltimore Orioles. The Royals faced off against the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, and Game One was as hotly contested as expected. Five lead changes, none by more by one, but the Yankees ended up winning it. The Royals took Game Two in New York, earning two home games, and I remember expecting KC to make it real difficult for us. They were at home, the crowd would be wild, Patrick Mahomes was there.
Turns out, KC didn't do much in those two games. The closest they came was tying Game Three with a pair of runs after trailing 2-0, but the Yankees won that anyway, and Game Four was a near complete shut down. Now, the fact that the Royals made it this far after a nightmare of a 2023 season is amazing. That should definitely be commended. The lack of offense was definitely a problem for KC; even worse, they couldn't get anything off the Yankees bullpen--remember, the bullpen had been the Yankees' weakness for a few months.
However, the reason answer to "What Went Wrong" is a simple one: a certain someone didn't show up.
Everyone knew that the American League MVP race was between Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Everyone knew that Judge and Soto were the two best hitters in the American League. Yet MLB couldn't have two Yankees and two players of color being shown as the top two MVP candidates, so they tried to convince everyone that Bobby Witt, Jr. was the close second behind Judge. Never mind the fact that Soto was better than Witt in every way, shape, or form. Witt had two things that MLB liked: he's White and not a Yankee.
So where was the so-called "MVP candidate" when it counted? He went 5-for-24 in the entire postseason, and drove in two runs. Even worse, the RBIS were in the Wild Card Series, which is also where he had four of his five hits. Witt was completely shut down against the Yankees. Soto was getting on base and driving in runs. I know what happens in October has nothing to do with the MVP race, but still, Witt disappeared when it counted.
And there you have it. The New York Yankees are in the American League Championship Series for the 19th time overall (an MLB record), and the second time in three years. With the Yankees' advancement, that means that three-quarters of this year's Final Four will be represented by New York and California. As for the Royals, from the looks of it, we should see them back in this dance next year, and the next few years after this. This team looks like they'll be a perennial playoff team, and they could possibly take over the American League Central in due time as well.
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About the Creator
Clyde E. Dawkins
I'm a big sports fan, especially hockey, and I've been a fan of villainesses since I was eight! My favorite shows are The Simpsons and Family Guy, etc.
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Comments (1)
This story is just right. You definitely held nothing back here.