KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bobby Witt Jr. was 15 years old the last time Kauffman Stadium hosted playoff baseball, but he’s heard stories and seen videos of Kansas City Royals fans with postseason mode activated.
"Electricity, for sure — it's going to be awesome," Witt said. "These are the moments you dream of. As a kid, you want to play in these games, you want to be in these games, especially here in Kansas City because of how great the fans are, how they show out each and every night. So, it's gonna be a lot of fun."
Salvador Perez is the last link on the Royals' roster to the 2014 team, which lost the World Series in seven games, and the 2015 team that romped past the New York Mets for the second World Series title in franchise history.
Witt said the Royals’ captain hasn’t had to say much about what to expect at 6:08 p.m. on Wednesday, which is when the first pitch in Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees will be thrown at Kauffman Stadium.
“When you ask him (Salvy) about it, he just smiles, so that's when you know it's something special,” Witt said.
The Royals swept the Orioles in the Wild Card Series last week in Baltimore then split the first two games of the ALDS in the Bronx, including Monday’s 4-2 win concurrent with the Chiefs’ win on Monday Night Football.
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“You can just definitely feel the buzz is coming, even from seeing videos at the Chiefs game and them cheering, ‘Let's go, Royals!’ is pretty special,” Witt said.
Finally, 3,269 days after Kansas City’s Game 2 against the Mets in the World Series on Oct. 28, 2015, "The K" will be rocking as a new generation of players led by Witt chase the franchise’s third championship.
“Seeing the videos in the past, in 2014 and 2015, just how the fans are and just how they're always in tune, they're always cheering for the team they love, this team — this city is a sports town, just from all the sports and what all they're doing,” Witt said. “It's really special to see just how well they support their teams, and that's why I love it here.”
Witt’s father, Bobby Witt Sr., appeared in five playoff games during a 16-year MLB career. He won the 2001 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks when Bobby Witt Jr. was 1-year-old. The Witt family’s fatherly advice is simple.
“The biggest thing is just enjoy the moment,” Witt said. “That's what he said, because you really don't know how many times you get this opportunity here, so just take it all in and just take a one pitch at a time.”
After going 2 for 9 with a pair of game-winning RBIs during the AL Wild Card Series win against Baltimore, Witt is hitless in 10 plate appearances with four strikeouts during the first two games of the ALDS. He said he needs to “slow down the game” to get rolling in this series.
“Nothing really needs to change too much,” Witt said. “If I go back to spring training and say I'm 0-for-10 with the series 1-1 with the New York Yankees, I'd take that 100 times out of 100, so I’ve just got to take things one pitch at a time, not worry about results, just worry about taking it one pitch at a time, one at-bat at a time, and just try to get another win.”
He won’t change anything in his normal routine ahead of Game 3.
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