Can the KC Royals sustain their hot start? Longtime fans weigh in on early success

Kansas City Royals fan Austin Murphy was looking for the perfect photo to commemorate his trip to Angel Stadium.

It was a big moment for him.

Murphy was celebrating his 40th birthday and his wife, Jessica, wanted to help make the milestone special. So the couple, who reside in Abilene, Kansas, decided to travel to a Royals game.

“I was looking at places the Royals were playing at,” Murphy said. “I was like, ‘What about the New York Mets?’ The airport was right next to the stadium.”

However, the couple wasn’t too fond of that idea. Moments later, they considered Anaheim, California, for their destination vacation. It offered similar city shine to New York City, plus the addition of Disneyland.

“OK,” Murphy recalled his wife responding with joy.

That interaction led to the couple standing right in front of a Mickey and Minnie Mouse sculpture just outside of Angel Stadium.

Murphy smiled as he snapped a quick photograph.

Later, the couple attended a pregame tour of Angel Stadium and cheered as the Royals won 10-4 over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.

“We have been watching them for a while now and they just gradually keep getting better,” Murphy said.

They unlocked a new core memory in the process, a story they’ll pass along. That’s the effect the Royals have had on a longing fan base this season.

The Royals have outperformed expectations in 2024. Much of the credit goes to the Royals front office for overhauling the roster. The infusion of veteran players has created a renewed interest in the team in Kansas City and its surrounding areas.

Fans have flocked to Kauffman Stadium to enjoy baseball again. For many years, the on-field product was secondary to an evening out with family and friends at the ballpark.

“The thing for me is, it’s been 10 years since 2014,” Royals fan John Miller said. “And it just seems right. This team seems to have the same magic and the same fire. Everyone seems to be real excited about it. I hang on to every game.”

Miller, who was born in Overland Park, Kansas, has remained faithful to the Royals. He endured a lot of disappointment growing up. Multiple losing seasons stung as he matriculated through grade school.

Miller’s friends asked why he supported the Royals? When he moved out to Fullerton, California, those questions continued to get louder.

“It was always a joke that we were going to the Royals game just for fun,” Miller said. “As I got older, I understood more that they lost a lot. They always used to say, ‘You were a Royals fan back then in your childhood?’”

Miller would always reply with his favorite moment: his first game at Kauffman Stadium.

Miller was 5 years old and attended a game with his family. His seat was in the former Hy-Vee section alongside his father, Dan, who has been a Royals fan for 25 years.

The Royals made the night special. Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney had captivated Kauffman Stadium as a distinct “Sweeney” chant reverberated throughout the venue.

Miller still shutters at the memory. There are still goosebumps that were magnified by the kinetic energy traversing the stadium.

That night, Miller became a fan. Since then, he attends a Royals game every year and has different jerseys for every occasion. He has been there for playoff games and cheered for World Series victories.

One of his core memories also came at Angel Stadium. He watched former Royals star Mike Moustakas hit a solo home run in Game 1 of the 2014 American League Divisional Series to propel the Royals to a 3-2 victory.

“That was just wonderful,” Miller said. “At that point, it was a lot of losing before that. That was right after the Wild Card game. And you are thinking, ‘Can we actually do this? Can we actually get this done?’ You really believed it.”

The same belief brought Miller back to Angel Stadium this weekend.

The Royals look to snap a nine-year postseason drought. If the season ended after Friday’s game, they would be in an AL Wild Card spot ... and a half-game from the division lead.

Additionally, the Royals finished eight games over .500 through 40 games. They haven’t reached that mark since June 1, 2016.

Now, KC looks to keep the momentum going.

The chants of “Sweeney” have been replaced with “Bobby.” Moustakas’ heroics have transferred into the hands of Adam Frazier. On Friday, Frazier hit a go-ahead home run to give the Royals a 2-1 victory.

The win encapsulated the Royals’ ethos of playing competitive baseball with a desire to never quit.

“It’s a big difference,” Miller’s father said. “They were wretched last year.”

So can the Royals keep it going? Royals fan Zach Hilker feels a prolonged run of seasonal success is possible.

“Being a born and raised Royals fan, I am used to losing,” Hilker said. “But, I also know what winning is like. I go through these moments, like a two-game skid where, ‘That’s it for the season’. … The optimism I have is, yes, I hope we can get to the playoffs.”

And Hilker will be there to hopefully see it happen. He attends 20 to 30 games a season and feels the momentum starting to shift.

Just like it did in 2013 when Royals outfielder Justin Maxwell hit a walk-off grand slam against the Texas Rangers.

“It’s brought excitement back,” Hilker said. “It brought energy to the stadium which is something that had been lacking the last few years.”

Over a decade later, the Royals excitement is approaching a fever pitch again. One that could bring October baseball back to Kansas City.