It was a season that had so much promise for the Kansas City Royals. They were coming off a 106-loss season a year ago and knew it could only get better in 2024. So they put together a season that saw them finish above .500 for the first time since winning the World Series in 2015.
Then the New York Yankees cut their playoff run short in Thursday night’s win. And it left Bobby Witt Jr. by himself in the dugout watching from afar, the celebration he hoped to be a part of. It’s become the moment some players on the losing team take in almost as much as the winning team.
It’s happened several times in the NFL and NBA and now Witt Jr. wanted to have that same moment for a very different reason than the Yankees.
“That’s where I want to be,” Witt said in a Kansas City Star article after the game. “I just try to take it all in when I can.”
That may be all the motivation Witt Jr. needs to help the Royals return to the playoffs next season. It very well may motivate the rest of the team too. And it will give the home fans something to watch as the end of the season seemed everything but exciting for Royals fans.
It's the same motivation that fueled the Yankees to take that step forward this year. Last year, the shoe was on the other foot as they sat in dugout and stewed in the disappointment.
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Kansas City Royals must play better at home to right ship in 2025
By no means was this a flop of a season for the Royals. They were one of MLB’s worst last season and put together a late push to reach the playoffs. But the one alarming thing about the Royals’ playoff run was they didn’t really have any home field advantage.
Including the two consecutive home losses to the Yankees in the ALDS, the Royals lost the last eight games at home. They were swept by the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants in their two final home series of the regular season. Then they lost the last two games to end their season.
They have to play better at home if they want to extend their season by another playoff series or two.
That will probably be more motivation for Witt Jr. and the rest of the Royals than anything, putting on a better show for home fans. Kansas City has spent a decade losing and being left out of the playoffs. For their first home playoff appearance since the World Series title, it was a disappointing finish.
It should be motivating enough.