There will be an air of royalty to the 2014 MLB playoffs.
The Kansas City Royals clinched a spot in the postseason with a 3-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. Jeremy Guthrie was brilliant on the mound, and the three runs the offense pushed across in the top of the first inning were enough to carry the team to victory.
The MLB offered its congratulations to the squad:
The team’s official Twitter account had a highlight of the first run, courtesy of Nori Aoki’s early triple:
It was the pitching that was the big storyline Friday, though. Andy McCullough of The Kansas City Star pointed out how dependable Guthrie has been this season:
The Royals gave fans a glimpse at his final stat line in the clinching game:
As with any postseason-clinching victory, it was time to party in the immediate aftermath. Thankfully for the Royals, it appeared their fans came to the Windy City to do just that, via Jeffrey Flanagan of Fox Sports Kansas City:
It wasn’t just the Kansas City fans in Chicago who were ready to party, as the Kansas City Police pointed out:
The team provided a look at the celebratory tools, while Chris Fickett of The Kansas City Star captured the team running onto the field after the final out:
ESPN Stats & Info and Sports Illustrated pointed out how long the celebration has been in the making:
Fickett, the Royals and MLB continued to give a look at the celebration after the victory:
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the game and the celebration afterward was the presence of visiting Royals fans in the crowd. Here is a look at the cheering after the game, from the MLB and the Royals themselves:
This picture from the Royals captured the excitement for the fans who made the trip to Chicago:
The playoffs are next for Kansas City, but it remains to be seen whether the Royals will be a wild-card team or the American League Central champion. Manager Ned Yost seemed pleased just to have the postseason opportunity, via Daniel Kramer of MLB.com:
The most important thing is, teams have won the World Series from the Wild Card round. So you've got to get in. Everybody else is going home. If it's a one-game playoff, we'll take the one-game playoff. Whatever gives us the opportunity to continue on is important. It's opportunity, is what it is. It's not consolation.
While Royals fans are certainly fired up for the upcoming playoffs, Friday was a night for celebration.
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