Mike Sweeney soaks in Royals’ postseason glory

It was late Tuesday afternoon, the sun shining hard on Kauffman Stadium, and Mike Sweeney stood on a patch of grass near the first-base dugout. He wore a plaid blazer and brown leather shoes, still strapping at age 41.

In two hours, the Royals would take the field against the Oakland A’s in their first playoff game in 29 years. And Sweeney, once the beloved and complicated symbol of the franchise, was here to see it for himself.

But first, he had some people he wanted to see.

“Little brother!” Sweeney yelled.

It was Billy Butler, the designated hitter, on his way to the batting cage.

“Congratulations,” Sweeney said.

It went on like that for the next 20 minutes. One moment, it was Alex Gordon, Sweeney’s teammate for a season in 2007. The next, it was Terrance Gore, the pint-sized speedster whom Sweeney has mentored while working as a special assistant for the club’s front office.

“What’s up baby boy?” Sweeney bellowed.

Last week, Sweeney sat inside his home in San Diego while the Royals clinched a playoff berth in Chicago. He watched the players spill out onto the field. He saw George Brett’s reaction. He thought of the 13 seasons he played in Kansas City, all but one of them losing, never ending up in the playoffs.

“I had tears rolling down my cheeks,” Sweeney said. “I told my wife: ‘This is the greatest moment of my career.’”

For so many years, Sweeney came to work at this ballpark. He had debuted as a 21-year-old catcher in 1995, a 10th-round pick with a solid bat and limited defensive ability.

He grew into the franchise’s first baseman, playing in five All-Star Games, clubbing a franchise-record 144 RBIs in 2000, hitting .300 with regularity.

But the Royals lost, and teammates left. When Sweeney signed a then club-record $55 million contract after the 2002 season, the deal came to symbolize two things. Sweeney was the star who stayed, and thus, he would represent the losing.

Now four years after his career ended with the Phillies in 2010, Sweeney is back with his favorite franchise.

“The only reason I ever played baseball was to win and bring a championship to Kansas City,” Sweeney said. “And being a part of the front office this year, I feel like I’m a small, small part of this.”

In the days after the Royals clinched the wild card berth, Sweeney kept hearing from old teammates. Some from the late 1990s teams under manager Tony Muser, others from more recent days. Former Royals first baseman Jeff King called, so did Tony Graffanino, Jed Hansen and Paul Byrd.

“All of them were ready to jump on a plane and fly in for this game,” Sweeney said. “Even though they spent small bits of their career here, this town is special.”

Sweeney makes his offseason home in Southern California. But after a few years of staying at home with his young children, he agreed to come back to the Royals organization in a limited role. He hung around the team at spring training. He roved around to the Royals’ minor-league affiliates, working with young prospects and doling out tutelage.

“It’s been rewarding,” Sweeney says. “Seeing some of the guys like Terrance Gore and Christian Colon; seeing some of the guys at the lower levels actually get here and make an impact. It’s fulfilling.

“To see a guy like Terrance Gore come up and steal home, and win a game, it’s like: I was with him 10 weeks ago in Wilmington!”

Sweeney still carries his trademark enthusiasm. In some ways, it’s what carried him through all those years in Kansas City. As the Royals finished batting practice, Sweeney found Gordon for another quick hug. When the two crossed paths in 2007, Sweeney was a 34-year-old in his last season with the franchise. The Royals were still seven years away from the playoffs. Gordon’s career was just beginning. But standing on the grass at Kauffman Stadium, Sweeney hopes he passed something on.

“I just wanted to congratulate him,” Sweeney says. “I’m not envious. We gave it every thing we could when we were here together. But I’m still a small part of this. I can’t get in there and dig in and bat … but I can cheer like heck.”

This story was originally published October 1, 2014 at 12:30 AM with the headline "Mike Sweeney soaks in Royals’ postseason glory."