Royals Could End ALDS Quickly Thanks To Potential Game 1 Victory
The Kansas City Royals took care of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Wild Card Series, sweeping them to advance to the ALDS for a date with the New York Yankees.
On Saturday, the series begins at Yankee Stadium. The Royals will turn to veteran right-hander and former postseason stalwart Michael Wacha to kick off the series. Game 1 will air on TBS and start at 5:38 p.m. Central Time.
Obviously, the Royals are going to be heavy underdogs against the powerful Yankees. However, they can shift all the momentum in their favor and possibly end the ALDS quickly if they win Game 1 of this series.
This will be no easy task for Kansas City. To open the ALDS, they will be facing reigning American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. The Yankees will be heavily favored to take Game 1 and likely the series as well.
However, the Royals have a lot of momentum on their side right now. And with Wacha, who has great postseason experience on the mound, the scales could tip in favor of the Royals. And should they win Game 1 of this series the next two games set up well for them.
In Game 2, the pitching matchup heavily favors the Royals. Cole Ragans, who dominated in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series will take the ball and be opposed by Carlos Rodon, and in all likelihood, Seth Lugo will start Game 3.
Should Kansas City win Game 1 on Saturday, they could potentially carry that momentum to a sweep and end the ALDS very quickly.
More MLB: Royals Superstar Bobby Witt Jr. Leaves Yankees, Red Sox Fans Feeling Conflicted
Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.