Fansided

The biggest superstition or ritual for each MLB team

By Brad Weiss

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 9: CC Sabathia #52 of the New York Yankees delivers the first pitch in the first inning during Game 4 of the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 9: CC Sabathia #52 of the New York Yankees delivers the first pitch in the first inning during Game 4 of the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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A stuffed Rally Mantis belonging to Lisa Randall from Piper, Kan., sits on a cutout photo of Kansas City Royals’ Eric Hosmer during Monday’s baseball game against the New York Yankees on Aug. 29, 2016 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Mantis’ are being sold at the stadium for $15. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images)
A stuffed Rally Mantis belonging to Lisa Randall from Piper, Kan., sits on a cutout photo of Kansas City Royals’ Eric Hosmer during Monday’s baseball game against the New York Yankees on Aug. 29, 2016 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Mantis’ are being sold at the stadium for $15. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images) /

Kansas City Royals: Rally Mantis

During the 2015 season, the Kansas City Royals were the best of the bunch, winning the World Series behind some clutch hitting and incredible starting pitching. The following season, they went into the year as a team to beat in the American League, but got off to a rough start.

That season, Kansas City played great baseball at home, but not so much on the road, as shown  by their split of 47-34 in Kauffman Stadium and 34-47 away from it. One may suggest that the good juju happening inside Kauffman came from an insect, which affectionately became known as the “Rally Mantis.”

Fans rallied around the Mantis, wearing headgear, masks and bringing beanbag toys of it to the field. Unfortunately, the original Rally Mantis died when the team took him to Minnesota, but Rally Mantis Jr. was found when they returned. Behind the new Rally Mantis, the Royals won 18 of 22 games during one stretch of the season, and got themselves back in the playoff race.

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Kansas City did not end up making the playoffs that season, becoming the fourth-straight World Series winner to miss out on the postseason the following year. In fact, the end was near for Rally Mantis Jr. as well, as he was found dead inside the dugout in November, exactly one year to the day of the Royals World Series-clinching victory.

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