KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Sunday, the Royals closed out the regular season in grand fashion at Kauffman Stadium with an extra inning walk-off grand slam by Justin Maxwell. With that, the Royals topped Texas 4-0.
It was the bottom of the tenth inning, with bases loaded and two outs. Then Maxwell swung.
“I kind of blacked out after I looked at Gordo on the bench; There was just screaming, crazy stuff,” described Maxwell, Royals outfielder.
Alex Gordon was amazed.
“That was definitely the highlight of my career,” said Alex Gordon, Royals left fielder. “That home run right there. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Although chances are slim, the potential still exists for a date in this year’s playoffs. Coolstandings.com says the Royals have a 4.8 per cent chance of making it to the post-season.
The Royals are in Seattle Monday through Wednesday, and then head to Chicago for a four-game series against the White Sox. Whatever happens in the next seven games, the year has been a success, as the turnstiles at Kauffman Stadium have been busy since April.
“We sold out, even standing room only last night. We had to tell people we didn’t have any tickets,” said one employee.
Through 81 home dates, the Kansas City Royals proved to be a hot ticket. In 2013, 1,750,000 fans paid to see the Royals in person, and the Royals continue to push their luck toward a potential American League wildcard.
“The crowds have been great,” said Toby Cook, a lifelong Royals fan who is in his seventh season working for the franchise.
Cook has been most pleased watching spur of the moment ticket sales add to an already solid season ticket contingent.
“The numbers kept rising and rising through day-of sales. It’s also been fun to see the buzz in the stadium. It was there every single night,” said Cook.
Should the Royals qualify for the American League wildcard, it could afford the franchise its first home playoff game since they won the 1985 World Championship at Kauffman Stadium.
There is still a week’s worth of baseball to determine who will be in the playoffs and who will be out.
“We’re spending this week getting ready for any possible scenario, and watching it all on TV like everyone else,” said Cook.
The attendance mark for the season is still 700 thousand short of the all-time attendance mark at Kauffman stadium, which was 2,400,000 people, set back in 1989.
