KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The jersey that Eric Hosmer wore in the decisive game of the World Series is headed to the Hall of Fame. So is the glove Salvador Perez used, the spikes Lorenzo Cain laced up and the bat that third baseman Mike Moustakas took to the plate.
Maybe they ought to ask for the goal posts from the University of Kansas.
Those were torn down inside Memorial Stadium in the wee hours Monday morning, shortly after the Royals beat the New York Mets to win their first championship in three decades. Thousands of fans shot off fireworks, stormed sporting goods to buy the latest apparel, and spent the night partying as if it was New Year’s Eve in downtown Kansas City.
“Our fan base and our team share a real special bond,” Hosmer said. “That’s grown throughout the whole entire world, I think, as the fans have watched us compete throughout this postseason.”
Indeed, the Royals made plenty of new fans with their scrappy, fight-to-the-last-out style.
President Barack Obama called manager Ned Yost on Monday and said the team was fun to watch and made Royals fans proud, according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest, a Kansas City native.
They won 95 games during the regular season and earned home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But they never seemed to be the favorites – not against the plucky Astros, the powerful Blue Jays or against the hard-throwing Mets’ starting rotation.
“I think the resiliency of this team and the way we can come back and the way we just count ourselves in every single game, I think it makes for a fun team to watch,” Hosmer explained. “It’s definitely a fun team to play for.”