KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For almost three decades, the gold crown above the scoreboard at Kauffman Stadium had mocked the home team. The Kansas City Royals had not been kings of anything since 1985, when they won their only championship. They would never be royal.
All of that has changed. Across eight mystical games, a famine has given way a bountiful harvest. The Royals — yes, the Royals — have advanced to the World Series, finishing a four-game sweep of the American League Championship Series with a 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.
Along the way, the Royals made history, returning to the postseason with unprecedented success after an absence of 29 years. Kansas City became the first team to start a postseason with eight victories in a row.
I love that George Brett was there, passing the baton with a smile.
As Brett, a Hall of Fame third baseman, beamed from an upstairs box, the Royals gave fans a new group to celebrate: homegrown stars like Alex Gordon, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez and imports like Jason Vargas, who allowed two hits in five and a third innings Wednesday.
Update: This is what it sounded like from the parking lot.
— Michael R. Strain is a resident scholar and economist at the American Enterprise Institute. You can write to him on Twitter at twitter.com/MichaelRStrain.