Bobby Witt Jr. is excited to prepare for an AL Division Series against the Yankees. On the train ride from Baltimore to New York, he watched YouTube videos of Derek Jeter’s past postseason highlights.
“Just being able to see it,” Witt said on Friday, “just because of how the stadium is and how the fans are, I just wanted to kind of take it all in.”
After a tough season with 106 losses last year, the wild-card Royals are now facing the AL-best Yankees in a best-of-five series starting Saturday night, bringing back memories of their intense playoff battles from 1976-78 and 1980.
“This isn’t a series, this is war,” said Hall of Famer George Brett, a star for the Royals during those exciting times, adding a strong word for emphasis.
Kansas City won its only championships in 1985 and 2015. Witt remembers watching the Royals—especially current teammate Salvador Perez—reach the World Series when he was 14, only to lose to San Francisco in seven games.
“Just to see what that team did and kind of like the underdog story in ways,” he said.
Witt drove in both runs that put the Royals ahead in their first-round sweep against Baltimore, as they outscored the Orioles 3-1.
New York had a bye in the first round. With Aaron Judge and soon-to-be free agent Juan Soto playing together, the Yankees are under pressure from their demanding fans who want the team’s first title since 2009.
“Thankfully we’re not playing against their tradition,” Royals manager Matt Quartraro said. “We’re playing against the team that we’re facing off against this week.”
Gerrit Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, will start for the Yankees, while Michael Wacha will pitch for the Royals.
“The passion comes through in the noise and the excitement of the Stadium. It’s hard not to think about all the great moments of the franchise,” Cole said. “It’s cold. The sound fills you from your feet up. It’s just a different sound. It’s wonderful.”
