Game 157 Thread: Detroit vs. Royals

Ever since the Kansas City Royals won the 2015 World Series, the end of the 2017 season has loomed ominously.

It has done so for good reason. Wade Davis, Jarrod Dyson, Jason Vargas, Alcides Escobar, Danny Duffy, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Lorenzo Cain would all reach free agency at once at the end of this year. General manager Dayton Moore was able to re-sign Duffy, but not the others. Davis and Dyson were traded before the season started. The Royals were a handful of losses away from trading Moustakas, Hosmer, Cain, and Vargas in July.

But as it stands, the Royals kept onto those five players. This week, this homecoming, is their last hurrah. It is their final homestand as the Second Golden Age Royals.

Sure, Kansas City could re-sign one or two of those guys. But it won’t be the same. It will never be the same, unfortunately. The new Royals core is now Nick Pratto, Raul Mondesi, Chase Vallot, Ryan O’Hearn, Bubba Starling, Jake Junis, and the like.

But until the rebuild starts, there will be six more games at home, six games gloriously honoring the Second Golden Age, a send-off party like no tomorrow.

The rebuild will not be this day. This day, we fight.

Kansas City Royals lineup:

Detroit Tigers lineup:

Onward.