Now that the season is over and our attention has turned to football and turkey, we finally have time to reflect on some of the hits and misses from 2025.
During the World Series, MLB tweeted that there
was “royalty” in the front row, accompanied by a picture of Prince Harry and a woman I assume was his wife. I say “assume” because I am hopelessly blind to celebrities and their ilk. I haven’t read a People magazine in years. I could walk right by Harry and Meghan on the street and not know who they were unless they were trailed by burly security guards or an entourage of paparazzi.
In a tart response to MLB’s tweet, media personality Dana Loesch replied, “The only Royals America has are in Kansas City and they stink.”
Some of you may take offense to that, but I thought it was hilarious. And speaking on behalf of Royal Nation: thank you for the shoutout!
A little digging shows Loesch is from St. Louis, which means she’s almost certainly a Cardinals fan. Cardinal fans tend to get a little salty when their younger Missouri sibling outperforms them. No sweat. The state’s big enough for both of us.
And Dana, I’ve tried those Super Beet things you promote on TV, and I’m sorry to report that they don’t work. I’m still old, fat, and ugly—and much like being a Cardinal fan, there’s no fixing that.
Before every season, the Royals Review staff offers predictions about division winners and award races. As I do every offseason, I went back through mine to see how badly I mangled things. Like a blind pig finding an acorn, I did stumble into a few correct guesses.
I predicted Bobby Jr. to lead Royals position players in WAR, and he did. Unless he loses a limb, that one’s basically automatic.
I picked Cole Ragans to lead the staff in WAR, and he might have if injuries hadn’t waylaid him. Instead, that honor went to Noah Cameron, and I doubt any of the big brains at Royals Review saw that one coming.
I correctly guessed the three NL division winners (Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Los Angeles) plus one Wild Card team (San Diego).
On the American League side, I completely whiffed with Baltimore, Detroit, and Texas, and had Kansas City, Seattle, and the Yankees as my Wild Cards.
Overall, I got seven of the twelve playoff teams right—nothing to brag about, and certainly nothing to take to Vegas.
In the World Series, I had Los Angeles beating the Royals in five. What can I say? I’m a shameless homer.
Speaking of homerism, I had Bobby winning MVP. That, of course, went to Aaron Judge, who continues putting up historic numbers. It’s unfortunate that Bobby (and Cal Raleigh) have become the Josh Allen to Judge’s Patrick Mahomes.
I did nail the NL MVP with Shohei. Again, not exactly rocket science. Or even as difficult as men talking to women.
I lucked into Tarik Skubal for AL Cy Young but missed on the NL side. I whiffed on both Rookie of the Year picks as well, which is a total crapshoot anyway.
No worries—2026 is just a few months away, and I’ll be back out there slinging mud against the wall.
I’m always fascinated by random baseball trivia. For example, four legends began and ended their careers in the same city, but for different franchises:
- Babe Ruth – Red Sox / Braves
- Jimmie Foxx – Athletics / Phillies
- Henry Aaron – Braves / Brewers
- Willie Mays – Giants / Mets
The common thread? All four were among the best to ever play. They weren’t ready to throw in the towel, and returning to their original city was their last chance to hear the applause of an appreciative crowd who remembered them when they were young and vital. The end always comes too soon for our heroes. Ruth hit just .181 with six home runs in his Boston return, and no one who saw it will ever forget Willie Mays on his knees pleading with home plate umpire Augie Donatelli for a safe call. And honestly, it looked like the ump blew it.
For $200, Alex: Major League Baseball has been around for a little over 150 years, and roughly 21,000 men have played the game. Progressive Field in Cleveland—the majors’ smallest-capacity stadium—holds 34,830. You could put every person who’s ever played in MLB into that ballpark and still be at only 60% capacity.
I was recently scrolling through Conagra’s website and discovered they own David’s sunflower seeds. According to David’s site, they’re the official seed of Major League Baseball—and softball too. You learn something new every day. I’ve been an avid seed chewer for about 50 years. Coaches can even print “David Player of the Game” certificates, which would be pretty cool if you were eight.
Back in the day, you could buy a packet of Fisher’s sunflower seeds for a nickel. That size was perfect for a game and made a nifty Halloween giveaway. You can’t find those anymore; David’s owns the seed market now.
Eighteen players have collected five or more hits in a game at least seven times. One of them was former Royal Johnny Damon. It’s easy to forget how good Damon was. In an era when the Royals can’t buy a decent outfielder, it’s heartbreaking to remember that in the late ’90s the franchise had possibly the best young outfield in baseball: Damon, Carlos Beltran, and Jermaine Dye.
Here’s a great bar bet: When was the last time a Royals pitcher won 20 games?
Answer: Bret Saberhagen in 1989. He went 23–6 and won the AL Cy Young.
Double or nothing: Who threw the Royals’ last no-hitter?
Saberhagen again, in 1991.
There’s a good chance you may never see either of those again in your lifetime.
Baltimore hasn’t had a 20-game winner since 1984. Milwaukee’s drought dates to 1986. The long-suffering Padres haven’t had one since 1978. And Colorado has never had a 20-game winner, which blows my mind.
Finally, we close with the saga of Ron Wright. Wright was a 7th-round pick by the Braves in 1994. A physical specimen at 6’1″, 230 pounds, he hit with power and actually improved at each minor-league level. After eight grueling seasons, the Mariners finally called him up. On April 14, 2002, he made his debut against Kenny Rogers and the Rangers—not the easiest assignment. Rogers could deal; “The Gambler” made four All-Star teams and won 219 games.
Rogers struck Wright out looking in his first plate appearance—understandable nerves.
Wright came up again in the 4th with Ruben Sierra on third and John Olerud on first. He hit a comebacker to Rogers, who threw to Alex Rodriguez for the force at second. Sierra broke for home and was tagged out after a rundown. Wanting to join the chaos, Wright took off for second and was thrown out by catcher Bill Haselman. For those scoring at home, that’s a 1-6-2-5-1-4 triple play.
In the sixth, with Sierra and Olerud on base again, Wright hit into a traditional 6-4-3 double play.
Rough day. Three at-bats: one strikeout, one double play, one triple play. Six outs in three trips. That’s got to be some kind of record.
Wright never got another game. The Mariners optioned him to AAA Tacoma, where he hit a respectable .273 with 15 home runs and 57 RBI in 99 games. He split 2003 between Toledo (Tigers) and Akron (Indians) before finishing in the Northern League.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is John Paciorek, whose brothers Jim and Tom also made the majors. John appeared in one game for the Houston Colt .45s in September 1963 as an 18-year-old. He came to the plate five times, collected three singles, drew two walks, scored four times, and drove in three. A series of injuries ended his career, but he retired with a perfect 1.000/1.000/1.000 slash line.
Baseball, like life, can be confounding, heartbreaking, exasperating, exciting, breathtaking, and beautiful. Some players get 20-year careers; others, like Wright and Paciorek, get one solitary shot at the limelight.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
