Bob Lutz: Royals’ wild ride defies explanation

Two guys are sitting at the bar, discussing the Kansas City Royals.

One is a Royals fan, one isn’t. But the one who isn’t is curious about why the Royals are suddenly so hot, why they’re sweeping through the 2014 postseason.

The Royals fan welcomes the questions. He thinks for a minute, then starts to speak. But he stops abruptly, aware that trying to explain what his favorite team is doing the past couple of weeks is impossible.

“Pal,” the Royals fan says. “I’m just enjoying the ride and not asking any questions.”

They have a good chuckle and the Royals fan goes on about his way, excited for the next game and eager to see what surprise the Royals are going to come up with next.

That next game is Tuesday after rain postponed Monday’s scheduled Game 3 at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City has a 2-0 advantage on the Baltimore Orioles in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series and has won all six of its postseason games after narrowly getting in as a wild card out of the American League Central.

This amazing Royals ride has included some of everything. Pitching, especially from a lock-down, take-no-prisoners bullpen. Hitting, including more power than Kansas City is known for producing. Speed the likes of which hasn’t been seen since Vince Coleman and Willie McGee were zooming around the bases for the Cardinals during the Whitey-Ball era. And outfield defense that would make Willie Mays proud.

The Royals have been so good that all their fans can do is shake their heads in wonderment. This is such a new thing for these fans, who have been traveling through the universe’s longest tunnel for 29 years.

But now, finally, there is light. And that light is a Royals locomotive that is destroying every team in its way.

Kansas City swept the Los Angeles Angels, the team with the best record in the American League during the regular season, in three games. Now Baltimore, cruising to a 96-66 record from April through September, have hit some October turbulence in the Royals.

It defies logic how a team that as recently as three weeks ago looked like it was wheezing toward late-season disappointment could suddenly get on this kind of a roll against the best teams in the American League.

The Royals are flexing muscle no one knew they had. Consider that since 2005, Kansas City has ranked no higher than 11th in the American League in home runs. And they’ve been dead last five times during those 10 seasons, including this season when they hit just 95 over the fences.

But in the playoffs, Kansas City has powered up behind third baseman Mike Moustakas, who is finally showing the kind of pop the Royals have expected from him for so, so long. Moustakas has four homers in six games; the Royals have eight in all in 226 at-bats. That’s one every 28.3 at-bats after a 10-year stretch of hitting one home run every 46.3 at-bats.

During that stretch, the rest of the American League homered once every 32.6 at-bats.

No wonder all these long balls have Royals fans going crazy.

Kansas City is averaging 6.3 runs in the postseason and have scored 14 in its two wins over Baltimore.

This from a team that since 2005 has finished 10th — or lower — eight times in runs scored in the American League.

Against the Orioles, Cain is 6 for 8 on top of everything he’s doing defensively. Moustakas, long considered a bust by many who follow the Royals, looks like a new man, or at least a new hitter. Alex Gordon had a terrific Game 1. First baseman Eric Hosmer is taking great at-bats.

The Royals don’t look like the Royals, and I mean that as a compliment.

Sure, Kansas City won 89 games during the regular season. But much of that success was a result of strong starting pitching and a lock-down bullpen. When you can turn a lead over to Kelvin Hererra, Wade Davis and Greg Holland for the final three innings, you’re going to win a bunch of those games.

And that’s what the Royals have done. They‘ve scratched for offense, stole more bases than any other team in baseball, caught almost everything hit to them and made that work to reach the playoffs.

Now there’s an added element — power. Kansas City is mashing, bashing, smashing.

For so many years, the Royals haven’t done anything like this. Now they are and there’s really no sense trying to explain why.

This story was originally published October 13, 2014 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: Royals’ wild ride defies explanation."