David Fiorello triumphantly raised both arms high into the air, letting the moment sink in during the split-second before he was mobbed by his jubilant Royals teammates. It was the bottom of the seventh – the culmination of a remarkable comeback that began just an inning earlier when the Royals faced a daunting 8-2 deficit. Now trailing Anthony's Orioles 8 – 5, with the bottom of the Royals' order due up, the Orioles were just three outs away from forcing a decisive game 3.
Aaron Bartelson ignited the inning with a leadoff triple. One out later, Chris Peterson singled him home, turning the lineup over. The bottom of the order had risen to the occasion. Consecutive walks to Tommy Apligian and Drew Waggoner loaded the bases and brought All-Star Scott Greenberg to the plate. Greenberg promptly singled in Peterson, keeping the bases loaded. As Fiorello stepped into the batter’s box , the weight of the moment heavy on his shoulders, Orioles' ace, Doug Kramer took a cautious approach with the Royals’ cleanup hitter, throwing a first pitch that was out of the zone. Fiorello wasn’t biting. With nowhere to put him and the tying run on third, Kramer had to throw a strike. A sacrifice fly would tie the game; a double play would end it. In a moment reminiscent of every child's backyard baseball dream, Fiorello crushed the 2 – 1 pitch, launching it on a majestic trajectory deep into the alley in center field where it slammed into the fence. Apligian and Waggoner – their arms raised in triumphant celebration; fists clenched – crossed home plate. Pandemonium ensued as the blue-hued throng of Royals fans roared their approval, their cheers echoing across the field as the Royals captured the American League title
For the first time in their 15-year history, the Royals have secured a berth in the TSSL Championship Series. This unlikely, undaunted, unstoppable team finished off the 1-seed Orioles in two straight games, sweeping the American League Championship Series 9 – 7 and 9 – 8, the latter in exhilarating walk-off fashion on Sunday. Defense again played a leading role with the Royals throwing out two Orioles’ baserunners in game 1 and turning two double plays in game 2.
Playing on field 2 on a sunny, 94° morning with a gentle 8-mph breeze blowing out to right field, the Royals set the tone early, erupting for five runs in the top of the first in the opener, parlaying three walks, four timely hits, and one costly Orioles’ error into five runs.
The Orioles responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame and threatened again in the bottom of the second with runners on second and third and only one out. A slowly hit ground ball to shortstop seemed destined to score the third run for the Orioles, but Royals’ shortstop, Kyzer Hoover had other ideas. Hoover threw a strike to Peterson at home plate to nab the runner by a split second, marking Peterson’s fourth putout at the plate in a postseason filled with thrilling moments. The runner on second was stranded as the inning ended with the next Orioles’ batter.
In the top of the third, Hoover performed an encore. Greenberg singled to lead the inning off, and after a fielder’s choice, Hoover doubled to put runners at second and third – his second two-bagger of the game. Ronel Martinez then launched a towering flyball to the base of the fence in right centerfield, allowing the runner on third to tag up and score easily. Hoover, not known for his speed, tagged up and headed toward third, surprising the Orioles by rounding third, turning on the afterburners, and racing home, extending the Royals’ lead to 7 – 2.
The Orioles matched those two runs in the bottom of the third when Chris Stutz singled and former Royal, Ari Loiben coiled and unleashed a powerful swing, obliterating the ball, which rocketed off his bat, soaring high and far, landing somewhere on Ridgeview Blvd to make it 7 – 4.
The Orioles plated one more in the bottom of the fifth, courtesy of former Royal, Jimmie Simeone’s booming double to left centerfield to pull to within two runs, setting the stage for the sixth inning, the most pivotal of the game.
Hoover drew a critical base on balls to lead off the sixth, ensuring his perfect game at the plate. One out later, Hoover was still at first when Kyle Casper, subbing for the injured Ryan Greenberg, stepped to the plate. On a full-count pitch, Casper delivered the decisive blow when he launched a towering drive to left centerfield. Orioles’ left centerfielder, Loiben, appeared to have a beat on the ball, tracking it back to the fence. However, Loiben would run out of room as Casper’s blast kept sailing, finding a home over the fence. The Royals’ dugout erupted in jubilation, and Casper received a hero’s welcome and was mobbed by his teammates upon his return to the dugout. His blast restored the Royals’ lead to 9 – 5.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Orioles quickly responded. Stutz singled, and Loiben doubled him to third. One out later, Kramer laced a line drive to center field. Waggoner laid out, going completely horizontal in his attempt to catch the ball, but his diving attempt missed by inches. Stutz and Loiben trotted home effortlessly. Apligian got to the ball and fired a missile to Hoover who had gone out to shallow center field to field the throw. Hoover turned and unleashed a rare, high throw that slammed into the concrete down the third base line and rolled perfectly back to Greenberg who was backing the play up. As Kramer attempted to extend his double to a triple, Greenberg fired a strike to Fiorello at third, who applied the tag in a bang-bang play to nail Kramer for the second out of the inning. This pivotal play altered the game’s momentum, preserving the Royals’ two-run lead. Though the next two Orioles reached base via hits, Greenberg escaped further damage when Casper made a leaping catch in left field on a line drive that had extra bases written all over it for the third out of the inning.
A scoreless top of the seventh gave the Orioles an opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the seventh, but it would have to be the bottom four of their order that would need to rise to the occasion. It was a promising start as Simeone’s popup into shallow left field found green to start the inning, but Greenberg mowed through the bottom three to prevent the Orioles’ lineup from turning over and preserve the two-run victory.
The Royals’ defense, the team’s backbone throughout the season, proved pivotal once again on Sunday. Their stellar plays maintained control in a game they never trailed, setting the tone for their victory.
ALCS Game 1 Offensive Stars
Kyzer Hoover 2 – 2, 3 Runs, 1 RBI, BB, (2) 2B
Scott Greenberg 2 – 2, 1 Run, 1 RBI, BB, GWRBI
Tommy Apligian 1 – 1, 1 Run, (2) BB, 2B
Kyle Casper 1 – 2, 1 Run, 3 RBI, BB, 2-Run HR
Game 2 was a roller coaster ride that rivaled the New Texas Giant for its twists, turns, and heart-stopping moments. With the Royals’ victory in game 1, game 2 became an elimination game for the Orioles, and the Orioles played with that sense of energy and focus. Twice in game 2, the Royals found themselves trailing the Orioles, the second time by a significant margin. However, the Royals’ resilience shone through as they mounted a stunning comeback.
Loiben slammed another no-doubt-about-it homer in the top of the first to left centerfield to put the Orioles up 1 – 0.
Apligian doubled to lead off the bottom of the frame, bringing Waggoner to the plate. The Royals’ effervescent slugger, in an excellent display of patience, crushed a 3 – 2 pitch over the left field fence that traveled 427 feet and left the bat at 105 mph. The ball was hit so hard that it had not yet reached the top of its trajectory when it cleared the fence. 2 – 1.
Both teams went scoreless for the next two innings, with the Royals turning a double play (6–4–3) to end the top of the second. The Orioles tied it at 2 – 2 in the top of the fourth, and the two teams went to the top of the fifth still tied at 2 – 2, locked in a pitcher’s duel.
Then the wheels came off.
A plethora of uncharacteristic Royals’ errors enabled the Orioles to score four unearned runs. This was a collective team effort in what could go wrong, did go wrong. It was clearly an anomaly for the Royals’ stellar defense, which had allowed the fewest runs in the league (a miserly 185 runs). Only one other team in the 20-team gauntlet had managed to keep opponents under the 200-run mark. Yet, for one inning, the Royals’ unyielding defense looked more like the Bad News Bears. Orioles 6 Royals 2.
The Orioles scored two more in the top of the sixth to take a commanding 8 – 2 lead. It was hot. The temperature of the ambient air was 94° while the temperature radiating off the turf was 104°. A third game looked inevitable.
Then the bottom of the sixth rolled around. The Royals’ bats, which had suddenly gone cold after the first inning, began to thaw. The Royals’ sent nine batters to the plate and struck for three runs, the last coming via Andy Wetterlin’s clutch, two-out RBI single. It was the defining moment in the game; a turning point that energized the Royals. The Orioles’ commanding six-run lead had been cut to 8 – 5.
The Royals turned their second double play of the game in the top of the seventh (4–6–3) to keep their deficit at three, and headed to the bottom of the seventh, setting the stage for Fiorello’s heroics.
Congratulations to Captain Kendal Anthony and his Orioles on an outstanding season. The Orioles played with immense class and heart in what turned out to be an incredibly close series.
Not only did the Royals capture the American League pennant and secure a berth in the TSSL Championship Series, but their third consecutive playoff series sweep served as a statement of intent – they are on a mission. Their remarkable blend of elite pitching and defense, indomitable heart, and unshakeable resilience have set the stage for what promises to be an epic showdown against the National League Champion Mets in a rematch of the 2015 World Series. Cova’s Mets navigated a challenging path, triumphing over the Expos, Cubs, and Pirates - all phenomenal teams and formidable opponents. The Royals look forward to facing the Mets and we are honored to do so in our 50th anniversary year.
The TSSL Championship Series kicks off on Sunday, July 21st at 8:00 am. Grab your coffee, don your rally caps, and strap in, folks, because the journey to the Championship concludes next Sunday, and the Royals are ready for this final challenge. If this series was any indication, we're in for a wild ride that no true Shalom Softball fan would dare to miss.
ALCS Game 2 Offensive Stars
David Fiorello 1 – 3, 1 Run, 3 RBI, BB, 2B, GWRBI
Drew Waggoner 1 – 2, 3 Runs, 2 RBI, (2) BB, 2-Run HR
Tommy Apligian 2 – 3, 3 Runs, BB, (2) 2B
Aaron Bartelson 1 – 1, 1 Run, (2) BB, 3B
Andy Wetterlin 2 – 2, 1 RBI, BB
Ronel Martinez 2 – 2, BB, (2) 2B
Scott Greenberg 2 – 4, 1 RBI
Chris Peterson 1 – 3, 1 Run, 1 RBI
Royals Crowned American League Champions; Sweep Orioles to Secure Championship Series Berth
