Ever-present pandemic, future of Royals’ Singer overshadow Matheny’s St. Louis return
Another day, ho-hum and alas, another Royals player sidelined by the sign of the times: Before their final exhibition game, against the Cardinals on Wednesday at Busch Stadium, the team announced infielder/outfielder Hunter Dozier had become its latest member to test positive for COVID-19.
That brings to eight the number of (known) positive player tests incurred by an organization that from appearances and details of the operation described largely has extended itself beyond Major League Baseball’s pandemic protocols … only to evidently lead MLB in reported cases.
Also eye-opening enough on Wednesday amid the bubbling flux of current events leading to the season opener on Friday at Cleveland, manager Mike Matheny announced that Brady Singer would make his first big-league start Saturday given that starting pitchers Brad Keller and Jakob Junis also have been detained by the virus. Singer was the team’s top choice in the 2018 MLB Draft and a key part of a wave of young pitchers crucial to the Royals future.
Between that intriguing chance to glance at what could be ahead and the jarring reminder of the fragility of this baseball season itself, a nod to the past that ordinarily would have been the story of the day was overshadowed: the return of Matheny to St. Louis, where he played before managing the Cardinals from 2012 until he was fired two years ago this month.
Theoretically, Matheny couldn’t shake hands or hug others. But when he tried to go elbow-to-elbow with Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainright, Matheny said Wainright “broke protocol” and grabbed and hugged him. Smiling, Matheny said he figures he might get fined for it even though he was seen wearing a mask when hugged by Wainright and it’s believed Wainright was wearing one too.
One of the few visible acknowledgments of the history came just before game time.
As he was crouching down to take warmup pitches, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina glanced towards Matheny in the visitor’s dugout. That served to engage a mutual salute, one that reflected both the brotherhood of catchers Matheny has referred to in the past and their specific tenure together that began with the rising young Molina appreciating Matheny’s game.
“That’s kind of what we do in our world now,” Matheny said, noting that he continues to feel connected to a number of people with the organization. “They’re a part of my story; I’m a part of theirs.”
And with no fans in the stands to cheer or boo or whatever they would do, so much for drama or tension or tender moments amid the sheer oddity that Matheny’s first road trip since baseball reopened would be here.
Under the circumstances, the topic was rendered so muted as to not be broached until more than 12 minutes into a 16-plus minute pregame video conference with the media when he was asked about the oddity of being on the opposite side of things here.
“I (had) actually never seen that other clubhouse, so this is all kind of new,” said Matheny, who retired from baseball with the Giants because of concussion trauma in 2006 — the year the new Busch Stadium opened. “But it just feels like it’s just another step.”
Never mind that Matheny’s tenure here ended in controversy, controversy he addressed extensively both when he was hired to succeed Ned Yost and through his actions between stints. That included pursuing his master’s degree in organizational leadership and working with a media consultant and essentially auditing himself.
“I don’t think you can ever trust a leader without a limp,” he said after being introduced as the Royals’ next manager last October … and before embarking on an offseason and spring training campaign to visit and nurture young players that certainly belied his reputation in St. Louis.
What has seemed easily forgotten, though, is that Matheny enjoyed plenty of success in replacing the legendary Tony La Russa after the Cardinals won the 2011 World Series (and lost Albert Pujols to the Angels).
Matheny guided St. Louis to the postseason in each of his first four seasons, becoming the first MLB manager to do that. That included three straight National League Central titles and winning the 2013 NL pennant.
Meanwhile, despite his demise here, returning never was going to be quite problematic for him. For instance, he was known to have attended some games at Busch behind the scenes in 2018 and 2019.
And on Wednesday, he spoke of his gratitude for his time playing with the Cardinals and “the privilege and pleasure of” managing them. Perhaps that was to be expected, especially since he’s said it all along, but it still speaks to a certain peace about the past that has freed him for the future.
While last week he had playfully suggested this was just another opponent, he conceded that arriving here and looking more deeply at the roster he was reminded of the depth of relationships he had established with a number of players and their families.
“Those are things you don’t just wipe out of your memory,” he said. “These are people I care for deeply and an organization that was beyond good to me.”
But some things just run their course, for one reason or another.
For whatever he’d do differently there now, it’s also true that Matheny’s entire context in St. Louis always was going to be uphill measured against La Russa and Whitey Herzog, two men who made their mark on Matheny and endorse him.
A change was always going to suit him well, especially if he embraced self-evaluation as so he apparently did.
What matters now is he has a fresh start in Kansas City. And it comes at a pivotal juncture in franchise history after back-to-back 100-loss seasons yet not long removed from the possibilities implied by successive American League championship runs in 2014 and 2015 and the World Series triumph in the latter year.
Matheny clearly treasures this reset, saying he couldn’t have been treated any better in his new uniform and community. So much so that getting this return out of the way wasn’t likely looming large for him, anyway, especially as consumed as he is with the ever-changing issues that have come with the pandemic.
Still, he acknowledged that he was glad this was happening early, even if it was a “less official, maybe, kind of return.”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve made a team change,” he said. “And you don’t forget the people, you don’t forget the memories.
“You learn from them. You become better for all of those. Now you move on and try to do the same thing (but) more and better.”
By managing the present and the future and dealing with the emerging frontline stories of the day… like the Royals’ ability to contain the virus and the development of Singer and other young players.
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 7:36 PM with the headline "Ever-present pandemic, future of Royals’ Singer overshadow Matheny’s St. Louis return."