After a weak pop fly off the bat of a helpless Salvador Perez floated into the glove of San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval, millions of Kansas Citians  were heartbroken. The Royal’s magical postseason run had ended on the final possible day of the Major League Baseball schedule. It ended on a Game 7 of the World Series at the hands of a seemingly un-hittable pitcher known as Madison Bumgarner.  Sometimes it doesn’t always end like it does in the movie.  Having made it this far however, will have a lasting impact on this city, and its people.

Forever I have struggled finding common ground with fellow locals with my love of the Kansas City Royals. The Royals for the last several decades had been a punchline of the Major Leagues, going 29 years without a single postseason appearance. True fan support, especially from younger generations was for the most part, non-existent. The Royals simply were never a trending topic and most of that can be attributed to their horrendous play for years. That all changed in 2014.

The latter stages of the 2014 season ignited a renaissance in Kansas City. On September 27th the Royals clinched their first playoff spot in 29 long years. This allowed the team the opportunity to play in the American League Wild Card Game against the Oakland Athletics 3 days later. That’s when the madness truly began.

Down 7-3 in the 8th inning pitted against one of the games best pitchers in Jon Lester with only 6 outs to spare, all hope had seemed lost. What a silly notion that was. The Royals tied the game and sent the game into extra innings, eventually winning in the 12th on a walk-off hit by Salvador Perez. The stadium was absolutely jubilant. Strangers were hugging, and grown men were crying. Never before had I in person  experienced anything of the sort. Fast forward a couple weeks and the Royals became the first team in history to win their first 8 playoff games. The city had truly caught Royals fever. Blue was everywhere you looked in the city. Fans were showing more support in the matter of two weeks than they had in the last 5 years. October of 2014 put Kansas City back on the map in the baseball world.

While it may be quite some time before I personally recover from the Royals loss in Game 7, I have hope for the future. I have hope that this team can captivate millions once again. I have hope that this team is able to emulate their performance from this season once again, and next time, bring back a World Series trophy to the heartland. The last 7 months of my life, starting in April and ending in October have been some of my greatest and I’m ready to experience that roller coaster ride that is a Major League Baseball season all over again. Until then, one thing is for certain. Baseball is back in Kansas City.