I'm a KC native. My dad grew up an A's fan in the 60's. In 1969, he stayed awake in bed listening to the Royals win their very first game on a radio hidden under his pillow. The game was a walk-off against the Twins in 12 innings, and he could barely contain his excitement. Naturally, he made sure I was a Royals fan too and we went to hundreds of games together when I was growing up in the 90's, even though we didn't have a lot to cheer about. Once, we left a game early against the Yankees, only to hear on the radio driving back home that Mariano Rivera blew a save and the Royals won. He looked at me then and said "we must never tell anyone that we left early." I turned from a teenager into a young man, life took some turns and we drifted apart. In 2014, we were able to bond again thanks to this team. We went to as many games as we could in 2015, using the laid back nature of the game to laugh and share stories and high five like excited kids when the Royals scored a run. I was standing next to him when Matt Harvey bullied Terry Collins into letting him finish game 5, we saw him sprinting out the dugout and he said "He's too amped, he's gonna lose it." Which he did, and we went to the parade together on a unbelievably beautiful November day. I treasure those memories, because I know there will be a day I won't have him around anymore and the 2015 Kansas City Royals will make me cry tears of joy for the rest of my life. Sometimes baseball is a lot more than just a game. Thanks for making this video.
Damn, you made me want to hug my kids and find a way to get them to love the Bengals, and I swear I will always be there for both good and bad. Thanks for the love you expressed for both sports and family
As a Dodgers fan this was one of my favorite teams of all time. Underdogs overcoming everything and beating all of the odds. No Royals were “superstars” just pure “gotta get my jersey dirty” ballplayers. Playing small ball and stealing bases while getting timely hits was so fun to watch which sounds weird nowadays but this Royals team made it look cool.
Same here as a Dodgers fan. Their energy from the 14 run was insane and got me hooked. Wished they finished off our biggest rivals in SF but was glad that they were able to get it done the following year.
Ventura passing away signaled the end of an era in retrospect. I would also add that the 2012 All Star Game showed that the city was ready for baseball to come alive. The first time in ages that the city rallied was to boo Cano. Which has never ended.
@@andrewlevi5340 for real. Love Benni. If there’s a season this year I’m expecting some big things from him. Our outfield could be real nice if mondesi moves out there and can stay healthy
This will forever be my favorite sports team of all time. The best way to describe them came from Johnny Gomes' speech at the championship parade. "Cy Young Winner: not on our team, beat him. Rookie of the Year: not on our team, we beat him. MVP of the whole league: sorry guys, not on our team, but we beat that guy too." This team was out to stick it to everybody, were out to do their dang thing, and were out to send a message to everyone, everywhere: we're Kansas City, and it's our time. Great video, man.
As a Yankees fan, I loved rooting for this team because of their story and not having a team loaded with huge names like most championship teams. Such a cool run they had and I always have a soft spot for KC when they make the playoffs because they seem like such a stand up organization.
I’ve been a Royals fan my whole life. This video really made me appreciate what the team did for this city during those two crazy years. I remember where I was for every single postseason game and the chills I got from seeing them again will never get old. Thank you for this!
@@shanebeyer7794 i can tell you from experience, that after watching game 1 of the world series in 2015 in the stadium. Everyone in the stadium knew no one was stopping them from winning it all.
@@shanebeyer7794 Absolutely, Shane! Live in KC. Born and raised. The talk in spring training in '15 was, "we're going back to the WS and this time, we're going to win it!". I mean, what team comes right out and says that, then DOES IT??!! It was a real special run.
Man I really wish they had a longer shelf life. So much fun to watch and their ascension from underdogs to villains made their playing style even better.
I knew that the Royals were an extremely caring organization in terms of taking care of their talent, but it makes sense considering how Ewing Kauffman treated the prospects in his academy. The Royals have one of the lowest payrolls yet they did not release any minor league contract during the pandemic, when a majority of the other teams did. I will always respect the organization for that.
Even as a haunted Mets fan, this royal team is one of my favorites EVER. The structure of the team was rebellious to the “high power, high strikeout” movement taking over the league around this time.
Nats Fan - but that 15' Royals team I will ALWAYS appreciate for showing a whole new way to win and build a team! The way that team was constructed was brilliant. As far as style points? Easily My favorite, the coolest and most unique team of the last 30 years. I can't give that Royals team enough accolades. Best TEAM (where the sum is greater than the whole of the Parts) in Any sport since the '04 Detroit Pistons. There was no superstar per say on those Royal teams, but they had ENDLESS depth at every position - especially that Bullpen (WOW!!). And it's not even close. As a homer only the 19' nats come close, just because we went from Last place at Memorial Day to champs in October - but that 2 year run of the Royals was something else.
God, I absolutely loved Ventura for his passion. Outside of KC, he was easy to hate and I get it, but he was a hero in Kansas City and it became a dark place when he passed.
This team actually made me cry. Didn't think that was possible. I was 3 when the Royals last won a playoff game. At the time the Chiefs couldn't win a playoff game either... it was special for this city.
Up until that point the greatest redemption i had seen in sports was finally seeing Nebraska win against Miami in Miami in 1995... But watching Wade Davis throw that glove in the air was the ultimate moment in sports for me.
Growing up in KCK during these times was truly a great way to start my love for baseball, everyone knew we would come back for revenge in 2015 and we did so, kinda like the 2018 chiefs when they lost to the pats in the AFC championship game but coming back to win the next year, this is one of the greatest sport cities in America when the teams are good
As a Blue Jays fan, that 2015 ALCS still hurts, but I am happy for Royals fans… and five years later, KC got their Super Bowl as well? OK, now they’re just spoiled.
Thanks so much for making this SportStorm! All of us in KC really appreciate it. It's hard for bigger markets to understand how big a deal it is for a small market like ours to win a world's championship. The buzz lasts for years. That was such a great 2 year run. Really fun to revisit. Many thanks!
As an A’s fan, I completely agree with this sentiment. Another patented SportStorm banger for sure, but seeing Jarrod Dys*n, Salvador P*rez, and Billy B*tler during that game and throughout the video made me sick and revolted.
What amazes me is how loud the crowd is. After every home run or great play, you can hear the team. I feel like that is the mark of a great team and a great story.
I remember 2013 and there was so much hype going into 2014. Having people saying we could make the playoffs. I was so excited about it. I didn't expect what would happen in the post season
Not a Royals fan but I appreciate what they did for the game in this stretch. Kind of the last hoorah of the old school approach. The 2019 Nat’s remind me of this approach as well but behind lights-out pitching.
I loved those 2 years of Royals baseball, and that is coming from a White Sox fan. I definitely hated them when we bumped heads, but there was something about their brand of baseball and underdog vibes that made me latch on for the playoffs.
I've found myself doing that with teams that I would otherwise despise no matter who they play in college sports, NFL, and MLB. I can't stand the Chiefs, for example, but I have to root for them in the playoffs when they're not playing against my team. So many people underestimate the amount of work the players put in to become the best as a whole and the amount of encouragement that they give their teammates when mistakes, including major mistakes are made. For that group of Royals, they had success at every level, and then when the players were all called up to the big league, it's like they hit a brick wall for several seasons. Then they realized that what they weren't doing right, and began doing it right. Moustakis started going the opposite way, Hosmer began harnessing his speed, and the owner at that time, David Glass, decided that he was no longer going to run the Royals like he ran Walmart when he was their CEO. But good for him for listening to the fans who were getting frustrated at trading away superstar players that KC worked so hard to develop like Jermaine Dye and Johnny Damon, just to name a couple. I have a memory of Jermaine Dye in his rookie season. I was sitting just past the first base dugout on the front row. Jermaine didn't make the catch, but he didn't lack for effort. Then he tossed me the ball after I told him, "That was a great effort man!" I wish I had been in KC during 2015, but I was glued to every post season game. It was just one of those things where the guys realized what they needed to do and each player took it on themselves to do what he needed to do to be the best that they could be, and they became the best team in the World in 2015. Let's hope that we don't have to wait until 2045 to see KC do it again.
The Royals of 2015 reminded me a lot of the KC Chiefs of 2020. So many times we had to make due and try to complete an impossibility. I agree against the Cards we got a lucky break , but there have been so many other instances and there was still a Game 7. Anyhow, thanks for the video :)
As a Royals fan who was at WS game 2 both years, this was freakin amazing and gave me goosebumps the entire vid! Only thing I wish woulda been highlighted more was Wade Davis’s dominance. Dude was un-hittable and was basically the reliever version of 2014 MadBum. Also the Game 4 win vs Houston was so dramatic, coulda been broken down a bit more. All in all, great freakin job SS!
There were some definite classics in the 2015 run. Game 4 against Houston will stand forever as the most miraculous TEAM comeback I've ever seen. Literally everyone in the lineup either got a hit, had a productive out, or a hell of a grind at-bat in that 8th inning.
What an amazing run and it was great to relive it through this video. I was born in 1986 and for the longest time I expected that the Royals would never make the postseason, let alone the WS. To have them go twice in consecutive years, winning one, was one of the most exciting rides of my life. I got to experience a bunch of the games in person, including the 2014 Wildcard, ALDS Game 3, and 2015 ALDS Game 5. They are some of my most favorite memories and I love the team.
I live in Colorado, but I remember going to Kauffman stadium in 2015 with my uncle to watch the Royals play the Angels, that was my first time being exposed to any professional sport live. I remember watching the Royals beat out the Mets in 2015 in their incredible postseason run, just before the broncos beat up on the 'Indestructible' panthers only a few months later. That was an amazing era of my life, and every couple years since I've traveled to go watch the royals play with my Uncle. They usually lose nowadays, but that team still holds a special place in my heart.
Man I forgot how much fun the 2014/2015 playoff runs were. I also don't remember seeing a starting pitcher go 9 full innings in the playoffs like Cueto did for them in 2015... times surely have changed. This year's Braves have a little Royal's DNA in them, especially when it comes to defense.
Cueto was so dominant that day, he only threw 121 pitches. The Royals extracted full value from that rental. In game 5, Matt Harvey went 8+ innings for 110 pitches, famously demanding to pitch the 9th after Collins wanted to pull him. Things could've easily gone the other way.
Very well done presentation. I grew up watching the Cardinals win consistently with timely hitting, pitching, great defense, and stolen bases. The 2014-15 Royals played a similar style. IMO this style is much more fun to watch than the current 3 true outcome snoozefests in today’s game.
I just decided to start a Royals franchise in MLB The Show 22 and thought I’d watch this to educate myself (and since it’s been coming up in my suggested videos for like 2 years.) Man am I glad you made this - my hype level has doubled 🔥 What a cool history this team has!
Im a royals fan seeing this for the first time. It's so cool to capture that year. It was a really special time when we won going totally against the grain
You want to talk about Big Game James Shields being an important veteran, player and contributor to helping establish the Royals identity... He did a lot of the same in making the Rays a winning team. Underrated player that people remember more for giving up a home run to Colon.
From a baseball standpoint he was regressing, his worst year was his last his era jumped from 3.20, 4.08, 4.45 his k’s dropped 159,156,144 and his whip jumped from 1.3 to 1.44. Million dollar arm, two cent head.
Absolutely fantastic video. I can't even imagine how many hours this took you to edit. Loved the way you told the story from the beginning (had NO idea Royals Academy was ever a thing), and used data to illustrate the magical run of 14 to 15. Thank you!!
As a Royals fan, thank you so much for making this vid! The only thing I wish you would've done was go more in depth to game 4 of the 2015 ALDS because that might've been the most exciting game of that run.
@@ToadHallPub did the same shit with the radio but I turned it back on like 5 seconds after I cut it off. The only time on either run where I thought it may come to an end. Took a booted ball and alot of kc grit to pull that one off
This team was truly something special and as a royals fan/sports fan in general this was my favorite team! Thank you for making this amazing video so people never forget
As a Royals fan, I want to thank you for this video. You really nailed every aspect of what made that team, and that time special for Royals fans. I had somehow forgotten about personally casting thousands of All-star votes until you brought that up. The only thing I would've added was the 2015 ALDS comeback against the Astros, and their tendency to comeback in general. And maybe Esky's first pitch Magic. But I'm nitpicking.
From KC and let me tell ya 2014 and 2015 was special. The whole city was electric. Everyone felt so unified around this team. The team just was great homegrown dudes. We were so proud of them and the example they set in the league and in our community. Zobrist made his daughters name Royal (or middle name, can’t remember). The parade was other worldly. Schools cancelled across the town so we could go. Even some businesses gave people time off for it. The Super Bowl run was almost as magical but this was the first championship team we had seen in a long long time. Just special
As someone who has lived in Kansas City my whole life, the glory days were my middle school years. I remember the “hosmer cut” (hair style) was all the rave. I even had it myself at one point. They really changed the culture and livened the city!
Man that team was something special. Anyone who appreciates good baseball will see that. Gonna be honest, those guys were complete menaces out there during the ‘15 season. They were waaaay ahead of their time with how flashy and swag they were. But the style of ball they played is almost a lost art now as the 2020s roll on. You described it best, the whole city rallied around them, and it was fun af to grow up in that. I think that it’s def still there, and hopefully my royals will be good in the next 5-10 years. Thank u for making this video, it brought so much nostalgia and joy to me at like 2am.
This was awesome, brings back so many good memories. I love this city man. Other cities may have a bigger fanbase, wallets, and skyscrapers but they can never match the passion and love a Midwest city can provide for their sports team, especially Kansas City. after all, its all we have lol.
Just found this channel, phenomenal content. I forgot just how fun this time was and I say this semi-reluctantly as a Cardinals fan who is old enough to have rooted for them in the 80s. They reminded me of those great 80s Cardinals teams-great defense, contact and baserunning and solid pitching despite low power. A throwback for sure.
Those Royals woulda went back to back if the Giants' Bumgardner didn't have the most unbelievable World Series pitching performance in history. He was incredible. In game 7, when he came out to pitch in like the 5th inning, Kaufman Stadium literally went silent. We knew that it over without a miracle, which almost came with Alex Gordon getting that triple in the ninth with two outs. I've always wondered what would've happened if he would've just went for that inside the park HR. Could've brought us into extra innings. 😢
Great video that was a special time KC the whole city was united Kansas and Missouri! A lot of the City are not Chiefs fans so the Royals brought everyone together there was nothing like it!
That 2015 World Series was remarkable. The Royals and Mets each had one dominating win. The other three games? Had just ONE play end differently in each game, it's a 4-1 Mets series win. Those games were bonkers.
Not sure about that. The Mets made multiple bad plays during a couple of the games. Those are the things they could control, but they didn't lose because of one play in any of those games. They got beat by a better team.
Thank you for making this video and bringing back so many fond memories. Being a KC native myself, I don't think anything could recapture the energy that the 2014-2015 Royals rosters created at the K. I went to game 6 of the 2015 ALCS and being able to be apart of many "Lets Go Royals!" chants is an unreal experience. Then going to the World Series parade after the win was one of the coolest things I ever got to experience.
Man, I love postseason baseball. As a braves fan, being a part of a magical run, and witnessing what no one could've predicted, it makes you really appreciate the uncertainty of postseason baseball. It's an amazing feeling seeing your team, having overcome so many obstacles, after years of falling short, finally capture the ultimate prize in the most unexpected way possible.
“Baseball isn’t fair” is the truest thing anyone has ever said. It does not matter what team you are, who you signed, who you traded for. Anyone can win, anyone can lose
This video is amazing. As a Kansas City native and someone who made a few videos about the 2014 and 2015 Kansas City royals back in the day thank you for making this video. In my opinion this team is one of the most amazing stories in sports history. Thanks again man.
Most of the "problems" happening in 2015 with other teams was because Ventura on our team was a young hot head and didn't really know when to not pick a fight. Sadly, he died unexpectedly in a car crash in early 2017 which really hit the community hard and we will not forget him. This upcoming season is looking good though, more homegrown players that look like they will do some good work!
Just watched this video and the Padres 2021 video and I am blown away by your talented editing, voice over, and data finding skills! You earned a new subscriber! 🔥
Fun fact: the 2015 KC Royals featured the first ever braziian player World Series champion, the OF Paulo Orlando, who can been seen here ( 30:40 ) hiting a Walk Off Gland Slam 🇧🇷
What made that 14-15 core group so special is that most of them came up together through the minors, winning at the AA and AAA levels. A big part of what made them so good was playing together. Individually Moose, Hoz, Duffy, Salvy, etc didn't taut great stat lines. But when they were together, they were a special bunch.
Awesome video, man! So great reliving these memories, I went to more games in 2015 than any season prior and watched or listened to every single Royals game that year. For a team (and town) that has done a lot of losing, 2014 and 2015 were an amazing time. Got me hyped for what we may see this season!
Man I love this video and as a royals fan that was my freshman year of high school my broncos were still really good the royals were really good it was just a good time in life
Even as bad as the Royals have been recently, it is always so nice to see videos like this on the 14-15 Royals teams because they were truly amazing. I hope they can get back to these ways eventually. I was 15 when they won the World Series in 2015. I am now 23. I don't want to be a grandpa when they make the next one. If they make it to another one lmao
Being in KC around this time, there was a buzz about the Royals that there never had been in my lifetime. 2015 was my senior year of high school and I told all my friends as far back as spring training that I would skip school and go to the victory parade if the Royals won it all. They ended up canceling school that day anyway. Shame that they haven't even had a winning season since that title.
Being from Kansas City I can say even with the chiefs success recently nothing can compare to how these two years of baseball made me feel. The sport being my first love and the royals being shit for my entire childhood made this a perfect culmination of happiness and excitement. Watching such an entertaining brand of baseball coupled with the characters like locain and hos and moose and salvy and esky and wade and the late ACE30. I smile to this day everytime I think about the countless memories I have from 14 and 15. Truly special and unforgettable people and moments. Ned should be in the HOF I stg.
It’s so hard for small market team to be successful, and the fact that my royals went to 2 WS and won it in 2015 is nothing I will ever forget. Small ball underdogs. That’s such a beauty in sports man. Unbelievable. 14-15 royals was like moneyball meets major league. It felt like a movie tbh. Go royals 👍
As a Royals fan, thank you for making this video. This was one of my favorite teams of all time and was such a magical ride for two years after all the losses and futility. It was worth it. Great video man
what's really cool is one of my friends served an LDS mission in Houston and Jeremy Gutherie was his misson president! we've gone to dinner before and he's told me stories that Jeremy told him so pretty cool connection
Great Video, still gives me goosebumps watching both seasons play out. the Night before the Wildcard game in 2014 The Chiefs Played on Monday Night football, Beat the crap out of Tom Brady and the Patriots 41-14 (this was of course pre Patrick Mahomes) but that night Arrowhead was electric. I mention this only because Midway through the 3rd quarter, the Chiefs were up big.. and they Showed Hosmer, Cain and Moustakas on the Jumbotron and the entire Kingdom Busted into a Let's Go Royals Chant that to this day makes me tear up. Hands Down The Best 2 Day Sports Period in Kanas City History. The Same Atmosphere was in place the next night at The K, I can remember telling someone, No way we lose this game, not with this crowd, after we won the wild card game we stayed at the stadium till almost 2:00 am no one (including the players) wanted to go home.
Incredible video, I loved the 2015 royals and there playstyle. Such an interesting team. Great video man, I really enjoyed this. As an idea for another documentary type video maybe do one on the recent Indians teams and there good teams yet failure to win it all.
Thank you all for a great year, happy new year!
Thank you for making this video. The Royals in 2014-15 don’t get a lot of vids about them.
@Grave Prower no they don’t. The Mets are the Mets, they fuck up at the worst possible moment. LolMets is eternal
@Grave Prower the Blue Jays got beat. Also one clip of Perez does not damn an entire series.
@Grave Prower every team steals signs, just with no tech
@Grave Prower and no it doesn’t the Mets lost because they fucked up
I'm a KC native. My dad grew up an A's fan in the 60's. In 1969, he stayed awake in bed listening to the Royals win their very first game on a radio hidden under his pillow. The game was a walk-off against the Twins in 12 innings, and he could barely contain his excitement. Naturally, he made sure I was a Royals fan too and we went to hundreds of games together when I was growing up in the 90's, even though we didn't have a lot to cheer about. Once, we left a game early against the Yankees, only to hear on the radio driving back home that Mariano Rivera blew a save and the Royals won. He looked at me then and said "we must never tell anyone that we left early." I turned from a teenager into a young man, life took some turns and we drifted apart. In 2014, we were able to bond again thanks to this team. We went to as many games as we could in 2015, using the laid back nature of the game to laugh and share stories and high five like excited kids when the Royals scored a run. I was standing next to him when Matt Harvey bullied Terry Collins into letting him finish game 5, we saw him sprinting out the dugout and he said "He's too amped, he's gonna lose it." Which he did, and we went to the parade together on a unbelievably beautiful November day. I treasure those memories, because I know there will be a day I won't have him around anymore and the 2015 Kansas City Royals will make me cry tears of joy for the rest of my life. Sometimes baseball is a lot more than just a game. Thanks for making this video.
Damn, you made me want to hug my kids and find a way to get them to love the Bengals, and I swear I will always be there for both good and bad. Thanks for the love you expressed for both sports and family
Thank you for sharing that story. Absolutely beautiful.
I was at the parade (2015) and it was absolutely FREEZING
Amazing comment.
A lot of people don't realize the A's were once in Kansas City.
As a Dodgers fan this was one of my favorite teams of all time. Underdogs overcoming everything and beating all of the odds. No Royals were “superstars” just pure “gotta get my jersey dirty” ballplayers. Playing small ball and stealing bases while getting timely hits was so fun to watch which sounds weird nowadays but this Royals team made it look cool.
The 2015 Royals were among the best team at that time.
Exactly I love their style of play. Small ball. Not relying on 3 run Homer's. The royals manufactured runs
Same here as a Dodgers fan. Their energy from the 14 run was insane and got me hooked. Wished they finished off our biggest rivals in SF but was glad that they were able to get it done the following year.
Are you enjoying that Mookie contract yet? We're all still laughing in Boston
@@JohnORatcliffe We're talking about the Royals here, man. What are you doing?
Ventura passing away signaled the end of an era in retrospect. I would also add that the 2012 All Star Game showed that the city was ready for baseball to come alive. The first time in ages that the city rallied was to boo Cano. Which has never ended.
That year you felt the wind knocked out of an entire city. Not only was the team never the same, but neither was the city
The goose egg that Cano put up in the home run derby in 2012 was epic. I have never seen a player receive more heat from fans at an All Star game
@@Ultima742 That was of his own creation. Should’ve just never said he’d put Butler on and then NOT do it. We the Show Me State!
i can't believe it was 5 years ago yesterday 😭😭😭 RIP yordano
If he just picked Billy Butler for homerun derby he wouldn't get boo'd
As a royals fan I really appreciate u making this video they don’t get enough love
dawg fr. what a great way to start the year.
as a meta fan, I disagree
Thank for taking Benintendi off our hands
@@JohnORatcliffe You again... You're gladly welcome. The dude can flat hit. Won a gold glove...
@@andrewlevi5340 for real. Love Benni. If there’s a season this year I’m expecting some big things from him. Our outfield could be real nice if mondesi moves out there and can stay healthy
The 2014-15 Royals had the best 3 headed monster of relievers ever. If the Royals had a lead in the 7th it was over.
Putting the emphasis on the bullpen made for some great comebacks as well.
This will forever be my favorite sports team of all time. The best way to describe them came from Johnny Gomes' speech at the championship parade. "Cy Young Winner: not on our team, beat him. Rookie of the Year: not on our team, we beat him. MVP of the whole league: sorry guys, not on our team, but we beat that guy too." This team was out to stick it to everybody, were out to do their dang thing, and were out to send a message to everyone, everywhere: we're Kansas City, and it's our time.
Great video, man.
That speech was legendary💯
From, and live in KC. You made me she'd a tear. Ty
That's how my Bengals got to the brink, but we chewed up the AFC and next year we may see you all again in the championship game
As an A's fan, it never hurts any less when the 2014 Wild Card game is brought up.
Same bro I can’t ever watch that game. It pains me too much
I’m a Mets fan try me
I just straight up skipped past that part. Worst game ever
@@damianlillard1981 I didn’t skip it but I didn’t look at it
As a Royals fan that was a magical night
As a Yankees fan, I loved rooting for this team because of their story and not having a team loaded with huge names like most championship teams. Such a cool run they had and I always have a soft spot for KC when they make the playoffs because they seem like such a stand up organization.
I’ve been a Royals fan my whole life. This video really made me appreciate what the team did for this city during those two crazy years. I remember where I was for every single postseason game and the chills I got from seeing them again will never get old. Thank you for this!
I bet the loss in 14 made 15 even sweeter
@@shanebeyer7794 i can tell you from experience, that after watching game 1 of the world series in 2015 in the stadium. Everyone in the stadium knew no one was stopping them from winning it all.
@@shanebeyer7794 Absolutely, Shane! Live in KC. Born and raised. The talk in spring training in '15 was, "we're going back to the WS and this time, we're going to win it!". I mean, what team comes right out and says that, then DOES IT??!! It was a real special run.
@@andrewlevi5340 Die hard nats fan here. I can say our fanbases had the run of a lifetime in the past half decade. Heres to another one! 🥃
@@shanebeyer7794 Here's to both our teams, bud! Happy New Year! 🍾
Man I really wish they had a longer shelf life. So much fun to watch and their ascension from underdogs to villains made their playing style even better.
I knew that the Royals were an extremely caring organization in terms of taking care of their talent, but it makes sense considering how Ewing Kauffman treated the prospects in his academy. The Royals have one of the lowest payrolls yet they did not release any minor league contract during the pandemic, when a majority of the other teams did. I will always respect the organization for that.
Classy organization
Oh hell yeah, our one moment in the spotlight in my lifetime. I really miss this team.
Give it time. Trust. They will return to glory.Way sooner than later
Trust the process! Royals will be back in 2022!!!
Your city has of the most transcendent qbs of our generation, I think you guys have a spotlight.
@@ziggle5000 Well yeah, but I always prefer baseball to football.
@@Awesome-oh7op well... :(
Even as a haunted Mets fan, this royal team is one of my favorites EVER. The structure of the team was rebellious to the “high power, high strikeout” movement taking over the league around this time.
41 minutes about one of my favorite teams of all time? Heck yeah.
Nats Fan - but that 15' Royals team I will ALWAYS appreciate for showing a whole new way to win and build a team! The way that team was constructed was brilliant. As far as style points? Easily My favorite, the coolest and most unique team of the last 30 years. I can't give that Royals team enough accolades. Best TEAM (where the sum is greater than the whole of the Parts) in Any sport since the '04 Detroit Pistons. There was no superstar per say on those Royal teams, but they had ENDLESS depth at every position - especially that Bullpen (WOW!!). And it's not even close. As a homer only the 19' nats come close, just because we went from Last place at Memorial Day to champs in October - but that 2 year run of the Royals was something else.
This is a fantastic video. I've always had a soft spot for the Royal's as my grand parents were from Kansas city.
Thank you!
God, I absolutely loved Ventura for his passion. Outside of KC, he was easy to hate and I get it, but he was a hero in Kansas City and it became a dark place when he passed.
He was our heart, and it got ripped out. It still haunts that team, he'd be our Ace still... Damn.
As a Mets fan this team will forever give me nightmares and haunt my memory
good
It was a terrible matchup for them. They'd have beaten the Jays or 'stros. But the Royals were practically built to beat the Mets.
Cain’s two diving catches will always give me chills. My favorite Royal
This team actually made me cry. Didn't think that was possible. I was 3 when the Royals last won a playoff game. At the time the Chiefs couldn't win a playoff game either... it was special for this city.
I'm not a Royals fan, but I fell in love with this team back in 2015. They were just such a great team with such a great story.
@Grave Prower I don't recall who asked...
@Grave Prower I would like to see the proof because I don't remember this being a thing.
@Grave Prower Well then don't go making statements that haven't been confirmed.
Two of the best years of my life. Those seasons were amazing.
Up until that point the greatest redemption i had seen in sports was finally seeing Nebraska win against Miami in Miami in 1995... But watching Wade Davis throw that glove in the air was the ultimate moment in sports for me.
Watch the Mets comeback in game 6 of the 1986 World Series with 2 outs in the inning down two and nobody on base
Growing up in KCK during these times was truly a great way to start my love for baseball, everyone knew we would come back for revenge in 2015 and we did so, kinda like the 2018 chiefs when they lost to the pats in the AFC championship game but coming back to win the next year, this is one of the greatest sport cities in America when the teams are good
As a Blue Jays fan, that 2015 ALCS still hurts, but I am happy for Royals fans… and five years later, KC got their Super Bowl as well? OK, now they’re just spoiled.
Man is that the best wildcard game ever or what?!
Thanks so much for making this SportStorm! All of us in KC really appreciate it. It's hard for bigger markets to understand how big a deal it is for a small market like ours to win a world's championship. The buzz lasts for years. That was such a great 2 year run. Really fun to revisit. Many thanks!
As a Mets fan I hate seeing this.
As a SportStorm enjoyer I love seeing this.
I'm incredibly conflicted, but it's great stuff.
As an A’s fan, I completely agree with this sentiment. Another patented SportStorm banger for sure, but seeing Jarrod Dys*n, Salvador P*rez, and Billy B*tler during that game and throughout the video made me sick and revolted.
This is literally what I just said in my head Lmao.. The Mets fan in me is sad but I love SportStorm videos lol
As a Jays fans i think the same. We were supposed to be the ones who beat you in the World Series!
That photo of Hosmer stretched out and the horror on the Mets fans faces . . . That was a photo that tells a story.
Mets never belonged to the WS anyways
What amazes me is how loud the crowd is. After every home run or great play, you can hear the team. I feel like that is the mark of a great team and a great story.
The K really is a beautiful stadium.
And they wanna tear it down
I remember 2013 and there was so much hype going into 2014. Having people saying we could make the playoffs. I was so excited about it. I didn't expect what would happen in the post season
Hearing the everything that kauffman provided for the academy sounded exactly like what mlb should be providing for minor leaguers today.
Not a Royals fan but I appreciate what they did for the game in this stretch. Kind of the last hoorah of the old school approach. The 2019 Nat’s remind me of this approach as well but behind lights-out pitching.
Being from Nebraska and a Royals fan. The tying home run by Gordon in game 1 is one of my favorite sports moments
I loved those 2 years of Royals baseball, and that is coming from a White Sox fan. I definitely hated them when we bumped heads, but there was something about their brand of baseball and underdog vibes that made me latch on for the playoffs.
I've found myself doing that with teams that I would otherwise despise no matter who they play in college sports, NFL, and MLB. I can't stand the Chiefs, for example, but I have to root for them in the playoffs when they're not playing against my team. So many people underestimate the amount of work the players put in to become the best as a whole and the amount of encouragement that they give their teammates when mistakes, including major mistakes are made. For that group of Royals, they had success at every level, and then when the players were all called up to the big league, it's like they hit a brick wall for several seasons. Then they realized that what they weren't doing right, and began doing it right. Moustakis started going the opposite way, Hosmer began harnessing his speed, and the owner at that time, David Glass, decided that he was no longer going to run the Royals like he ran Walmart when he was their CEO. But good for him for listening to the fans who were getting frustrated at trading away superstar players that KC worked so hard to develop like Jermaine Dye and Johnny Damon, just to name a couple. I have a memory of Jermaine Dye in his rookie season. I was sitting just past the first base dugout on the front row. Jermaine didn't make the catch, but he didn't lack for effort. Then he tossed me the ball after I told him, "That was a great effort man!" I wish I had been in KC during 2015, but I was glued to every post season game. It was just one of those things where the guys realized what they needed to do and each player took it on themselves to do what he needed to do to be the best that they could be, and they became the best team in the World in 2015. Let's hope that we don't have to wait until 2045 to see KC do it again.
The Royals of 2015 reminded me a lot of the KC Chiefs of 2020. So many times we had to make due and try to complete an impossibility. I agree against the Cards we got a lucky break , but there have been so many other instances and there was still a Game 7. Anyhow, thanks for the video :)
I think I can speak for every Kansas Citian when I say, this was one of the best times in our city's history. No matter if you were a fan or not.
No joke I actually got tears watching this. Thank you so much.
as a mets fan. yes it was, at the expense of one of our worst. ;)
And now you’ve had one of the best teams in football for several seasons now! KC is eating right now in the sports world.
I cry with joy every time I see this amazing performance!
As a Royals fan who was at WS game 2 both years, this was freakin amazing and gave me goosebumps the entire vid! Only thing I wish woulda been highlighted more was Wade Davis’s dominance. Dude was un-hittable and was basically the reliever version of 2014 MadBum. Also the Game 4 win vs Houston was so dramatic, coulda been broken down a bit more. All in all, great freakin job SS!
There were some definite classics in the 2015 run. Game 4 against Houston will stand forever as the most miraculous TEAM comeback I've ever seen. Literally everyone in the lineup either got a hit, had a productive out, or a hell of a grind at-bat in that 8th inning.
What an amazing run and it was great to relive it through this video. I was born in 1986 and for the longest time I expected that the Royals would never make the postseason, let alone the WS. To have them go twice in consecutive years, winning one, was one of the most exciting rides of my life. I got to experience a bunch of the games in person, including the 2014 Wildcard, ALDS Game 3, and 2015 ALDS Game 5. They are some of my most favorite memories and I love the team.
I live in Colorado, but I remember going to Kauffman stadium in 2015 with my uncle to watch the Royals play the Angels, that was my first time being exposed to any professional sport live. I remember watching the Royals beat out the Mets in 2015 in their incredible postseason run, just before the broncos beat up on the 'Indestructible' panthers only a few months later. That was an amazing era of my life, and every couple years since I've traveled to go watch the royals play with my Uncle. They usually lose nowadays, but that team still holds a special place in my heart.
I'm so glad this video exists. Thank you, SportStorm!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I am a royals fan and this was one of the greatest times of my life
As a Royals fan I miss 2014 and 15. 😢 What a good time to be in KC. All the talk about the team, etc.
Man I forgot how much fun the 2014/2015 playoff runs were. I also don't remember seeing a starting pitcher go 9 full innings in the playoffs like Cueto did for them in 2015... times surely have changed. This year's Braves have a little Royal's DNA in them, especially when it comes to defense.
Cueto was my dude for the Reds, but a lot of guys leave here to help win it all in other cities
Cueto was so dominant that day, he only threw 121 pitches. The Royals extracted full value from that rental.
In game 5, Matt Harvey went 8+ innings for 110 pitches, famously demanding to pitch the 9th after Collins wanted to pull him. Things could've easily gone the other way.
Very well done presentation. I grew up watching the Cardinals win consistently with timely hitting, pitching, great defense, and stolen bases. The 2014-15 Royals played a similar style. IMO this style is much more fun to watch than the current 3 true outcome snoozefests in today’s game.
great video- i only wish there would have been a recap of the Houston come back "move the line" rally. Thank you for the post!
I’m not even a Royals fan and then World Series highlights made me smile
I just decided to start a Royals franchise in MLB The Show 22 and thought I’d watch this to educate myself (and since it’s been coming up in my suggested videos for like 2 years.) Man am I glad you made this - my hype level has doubled 🔥 What a cool history this team has!
Im a royals fan seeing this for the first time. It's so cool to capture that year. It was a really special time when we won going totally against the grain
You want to talk about Big Game James Shields being an important veteran, player and contributor to helping establish the Royals identity... He did a lot of the same in making the Rays a winning team. Underrated player that people remember more for giving up a home run to Colon.
Seeing Ventura pitch made me sad. I have his rookie card. I expected him to get a Cy Young award maybe next year but then he died.
From a baseball standpoint he was regressing, his worst year was his last his era jumped from 3.20, 4.08, 4.45 his k’s dropped 159,156,144 and his whip jumped from 1.3 to 1.44. Million dollar arm, two cent head.
As a KC fan this is a very emotional video! Thanks for the memories!
Awesome video man, I'm glad someone was able to really show how special that 14-15 team was.
Absolutely fantastic video. I can't even imagine how many hours this took you to edit. Loved the way you told the story from the beginning (had NO idea Royals Academy was ever a thing), and used data to illustrate the magical run of 14 to 15. Thank you!!
As a Royals fan, thank you so much for making this vid! The only thing I wish you would've done was go more in depth to game 4 of the 2015 ALDS because that might've been the most exciting game of that run.
I almost turned the TV off in utter despair. Pretty glad I stayed tuned
@@ToadHallPub did the same shit with the radio but I turned it back on like 5 seconds after I cut it off. The only time on either run where I thought it may come to an end. Took a booted ball and alot of kc grit to pull that one off
@C Tay still can hear the call on the Correa boot.
This team was truly something special and as a royals fan/sports fan in general this was my favorite team! Thank you for making this amazing video so people never forget
Thanks for a great video, even if as an O's fan that 2014 squad still hurts me. That was our best recent year, I'm convinced. Happy new year buddy!
As a Royals fan, I want to thank you for this video. You really nailed every aspect of what made that team, and that time special for Royals fans. I had somehow forgotten about personally casting thousands of All-star votes until you brought that up.
The only thing I would've added was the 2015 ALDS comeback against the Astros, and their tendency to comeback in general. And maybe Esky's first pitch Magic. But I'm nitpicking.
I still think the 2014 Royals were more exciting than the WS Champion 2015 Royals!! So glad they won it all!!
From KC and let me tell ya 2014 and 2015 was special. The whole city was electric. Everyone felt so unified around this team. The team just was great homegrown dudes. We were so proud of them and the example they set in the league and in our community. Zobrist made his daughters name Royal (or middle name, can’t remember). The parade was other worldly. Schools cancelled across the town so we could go. Even some businesses gave people time off for it. The Super Bowl run was almost as magical but this was the first championship team we had seen in a long long time. Just special
Loved all my royals teams. These guys though, special. Great job. Thoroughly enjoyed.
As someone who has lived in Kansas City my whole life, the glory days were my middle school years. I remember the “hosmer cut” (hair style) was all the rave. I even had it myself at one point. They really changed the culture and livened the city!
Man that team was something special. Anyone who appreciates good baseball will see that. Gonna be honest, those guys were complete menaces out there during the ‘15 season. They were waaaay ahead of their time with how flashy and swag they were. But the style of ball they played is almost a lost art now as the 2020s roll on. You described it best, the whole city rallied around them, and it was fun af to grow up in that. I think that it’s def still there, and hopefully my royals will be good in the next 5-10 years. Thank u for making this video, it brought so much nostalgia and joy to me at like 2am.
This was awesome, brings back so many good memories. I love this city man. Other cities may have a bigger fanbase, wallets, and skyscrapers but they can never match the passion and love a Midwest city can provide for their sports team, especially Kansas City. after all, its all we have lol.
Just found this channel, phenomenal content. I forgot just how fun this time was and I say this semi-reluctantly as a Cardinals fan who is old enough to have rooted for them in the 80s. They reminded me of those great 80s Cardinals teams-great defense, contact and baserunning and solid pitching despite low power. A throwback for sure.
Those Royals woulda went back to back if the Giants' Bumgardner didn't have the most unbelievable World Series pitching performance in history. He was incredible. In game 7, when he came out to pitch in like the 5th inning, Kaufman Stadium literally went silent. We knew that it over without a miracle, which almost came with Alex Gordon getting that triple in the ninth with two outs. I've always wondered what would've happened if he would've just went for that inside the park HR. Could've brought us into extra innings. 😢
Great video that was a special time KC the whole city was united Kansas and Missouri! A lot of the City are not Chiefs fans so the Royals brought everyone together there was nothing like it!
That 2015 World Series was remarkable. The Royals and Mets each had one dominating win. The other three games? Had just ONE play end differently in each game, it's a 4-1 Mets series win. Those games were bonkers.
Not sure about that. The Mets made multiple bad plays during a couple of the games. Those are the things they could control, but they didn't lose because of one play in any of those games. They got beat by a better team.
Thank you for making this video and bringing back so many fond memories. Being a KC native myself, I don't think anything could recapture the energy that the 2014-2015 Royals rosters created at the K. I went to game 6 of the 2015 ALCS and being able to be apart of many "Lets Go Royals!" chants is an unreal experience. Then going to the World Series parade after the win was one of the coolest things I ever got to experience.
Man, I love postseason baseball. As a braves fan, being a part of a magical run, and witnessing what no one could've predicted, it makes you really appreciate the uncertainty of postseason baseball. It's an amazing feeling seeing your team, having overcome so many obstacles, after years of falling short, finally capture the ultimate prize in the most unexpected way possible.
Cardinals fan for life. My family are all royals fans though and watching the 14-15 royals was something special! A couple great years for that team!
“Baseball isn’t fair” is the truest thing anyone has ever said. It does not matter what team you are, who you signed, who you traded for. Anyone can win, anyone can lose
This video is amazing. As a Kansas City native and someone who made a few videos about the 2014 and 2015 Kansas City royals back in the day thank you for making this video. In my opinion this team is one of the most amazing stories in sports history. Thanks again man.
Most of the "problems" happening in 2015 with other teams was because Ventura on our team was a young hot head and didn't really know when to not pick a fight. Sadly, he died unexpectedly in a car crash in early 2017 which really hit the community hard and we will not forget him. This upcoming season is looking good though, more homegrown players that look like they will do some good work!
Rockies✅
Japanese baseball scandal✅
Padres✅
Royals✅
Hopefully there’s more mini docs to come
We need one on the Cubs finally winning the World Series. And this is coming from an Indians fan.
Just watched this video and the Padres 2021 video and I am blown away by your talented editing, voice over, and data finding skills! You earned a new subscriber! 🔥
Fun fact: the 2015 KC Royals featured the first ever braziian player World Series champion, the OF Paulo Orlando, who can been seen here ( 30:40 ) hiting a Walk Off Gland Slam 🇧🇷
What made that 14-15 core group so special is that most of them came up together through the minors, winning at the AA and AAA levels. A big part of what made them so good was playing together. Individually Moose, Hoz, Duffy, Salvy, etc didn't taut great stat lines. But when they were together, they were a special bunch.
Awesome video, man! So great reliving these memories, I went to more games in 2015 than any season prior and watched or listened to every single Royals game that year. For a team (and town) that has done a lot of losing, 2014 and 2015 were an amazing time. Got me hyped for what we may see this season!
Sigh... I'm sure gonna miss those guys 😟, the Royals were so good during those years, and I'm hoping they can make a come back one day.
Been a Royals fan since 2007
This was the first World Series I watched that didn't involve the Cardinals, great team!
Man I love this video and as a royals fan that was my freshman year of high school my broncos were still really good the royals were really good it was just a good time in life
I remember these seasons best time of my life watching my team finally get good was the greatest feeling
Even as bad as the Royals have been recently, it is always so nice to see videos like this on the 14-15 Royals teams because they were truly amazing. I hope they can get back to these ways eventually. I was 15 when they won the World Series in 2015. I am now 23. I don't want to be a grandpa when they make the next one. If they make it to another one lmao
Being in KC around this time, there was a buzz about the Royals that there never had been in my lifetime. 2015 was my senior year of high school and I told all my friends as far back as spring training that I would skip school and go to the victory parade if the Royals won it all. They ended up canceling school that day anyway. Shame that they haven't even had a winning season since that title.
The whole city, team included, was determined to make 2015 Forever Royal. And they did.
As a Kansas City resident. It sucks that they seemed to abandon what made them unique
Being from Kansas City I can say even with the chiefs success recently nothing can compare to how these two years of baseball made me feel. The sport being my first love and the royals being shit for my entire childhood made this a perfect culmination of happiness and excitement. Watching such an entertaining brand of baseball coupled with the characters like locain and hos and moose and salvy and esky and wade and the late ACE30. I smile to this day everytime I think about the countless memories I have from 14 and 15. Truly special and unforgettable people and moments. Ned should be in the HOF I stg.
Great job with the video btw. I think you told the story magnificently
It’s so hard for small market team to be successful, and the fact that my royals went to 2 WS and won it in 2015 is nothing I will ever forget. Small ball underdogs. That’s such a beauty in sports man. Unbelievable. 14-15 royals was like moneyball meets major league. It felt like a movie tbh. Go royals 👍
As a Royals fan, thank you for making this video. This was one of my favorite teams of all time and was such a magical ride for two years after all the losses and futility. It was worth it. Great video man
As a Pirates fan thinking about 14 and 15 only makes me sad but the videos just keep getting better and better
what's really cool is one of my friends served an LDS mission in Houston and Jeremy Gutherie was his misson president! we've gone to dinner before and he's told me stories that Jeremy told him so pretty cool connection
Thank you for creating this, it brought back ALL THE FEELS!
Great Video, still gives me goosebumps watching both seasons play out. the Night before the Wildcard game in 2014 The Chiefs Played on Monday Night football, Beat the crap out of Tom Brady and the Patriots 41-14 (this was of course pre Patrick Mahomes) but that night Arrowhead was electric. I mention this only because Midway through the 3rd quarter, the Chiefs were up big.. and they Showed Hosmer, Cain and Moustakas on the Jumbotron and the entire Kingdom Busted into a Let's Go Royals Chant that to this day makes me tear up. Hands Down The Best 2 Day Sports Period in Kanas City History. The Same Atmosphere was in place the next night at The K, I can remember telling someone, No way we lose this game, not with this crowd, after we won the wild card game we stayed at the stadium till almost 2:00 am no one (including the players) wanted to go home.
Better get ready to make a part 2. Royals are looking pretty great this year so far
Incredible video, I loved the 2015 royals and there playstyle. Such an interesting team. Great video man, I really enjoyed this. As an idea for another documentary type video maybe do one on the recent Indians teams and there good teams yet failure to win it all.
I’m a Mets fan. This is giving me ptsd of cespedes kicking the ball
Lifetime Royals fan. This was awesome