NEW YORK (AP) — Happy to be on track for an AL Division Series matchup against the Yankees, Bobby Witt Jr. streamed YouTube on the train ride from Baltimore to New York to watch some Derek Jeter highlights of postseasons past.
“Just being able to see it,” Witt recalled Friday, “just because of just how the stadium is, how the fans at, just wanted to kind of just take it all in.”
A year removed from a 106-loss season, the wild-card Royals face the AL-best Yankees in a best-of-five series starting Saturday night, a renewal of passion-filled playoffs of 1976-78 and '80.
“This isn't a series, this is war,” said Hall of Famer George Brett, a Royals star of those memorable matchups, tossing in a profanity for emphasis.
Kansas City won its only championships in 1985 and 2015. Witt remembered as 14-year-old watching the Royals — and current teammate Salvador Perez, reach the World Series only to lose to San Francisco in seven games.
“Just to see what that team did and kind of like the underdog story in ways,” he said.
Witt drove in both go-ahead runs in the first-round sweep at Baltimore as the Royals outscored the Orioles 3-1.
New York had a first-round bye. With Aaron Judge and free-agent-to-be Juan Soto together for perhaps their only season, the Yankees play before demanding fans insisting on the team's first title since No. 27 in 2009.
“Thankfully we’re not playing against their tradition,” Royals manager Matt Quartraro said. “We’re playing against the team that we’re facing off against this week.”
Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole (8-5) starts for the Yankees and Michael Wacha (13-8) for the Royals.
“The passion comes through in the noise and then the pageantry of the Stadium. It’s hard not to think about all the great moments of the franchise," Cole said. “It's cold. The sound like fills you from the feet up. It’s just a different sound. It’s wonderful.”
Judge and Witt are the marquee stars. Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs while hitting .322, and Witt topped the major leagues with a .332 average along with 32 homers, 109 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.
Since Judge joined the Yankees, they've lost three times in the ALCS, twice in the ALDS and once in the wild-card game.
“It eats at me every time we don’t finish the job,” he said. “I take a lot of responsibility for that, being on the team, and if we don’t win it all, I feel like it’s my fault.”
Soto, a World Series champion with Washington in 2019, will experience his first playoff game in pinstripes.
“All the guys are talking about is how loud this place is going to be,” he said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to, to see and to hear those fans going crazy.”
Witt's father, Bobby, pitched a hitless eighth inning for Arizona in Game 6 of the 2001 World Series. The Diamondbacks won the first two games at home, lose three straight in the Bronx, then rallied in the desert to win the title.
“Hearing that and seeing his World Series ring was really cool,” Witt Jr. said, “so that’s just motivation for me to kind of do what he did.”
Judge is 1 for 18 against Wacha, a 33-year-old right-hander whose 30.9% changeup use was fourth-highest among pitchers with 150 or more plate appearances. Wacha's four-seam fastball averaged 93.6 mph, part of a six-pitch mix that also includes cutters, sliders, sinkers and curves.
“It’s a tough at-bat but definitely a fun one,” Judge said.
Soto is 2 for 5 against Wacha and Giancarlo Stanton 2 for 17 with a homer.
Anthony Rizzo will miss the series after fracturing the fourth and fifth fingers when hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Ryan Borucki on Sept. 28.
“Gutting through it, I wouldn’t be able to be my best version defensively or offensively,” he said. “I’m confident hopefully in the next round to join them."
Yankees reliever Jake Cousins, who hasn't pitched since Sept. 19 because of a strained right pec muscle, could be activated Saturday.
“He threw in the sim game,” Boone said before Friday's workout. “Stuff was really good.”
Witt wears No. 7 with the Royals, he had a No. 17 jersey at Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas as a tribute to Jeter (No. 2) and Boston's Dustin Pedroia (No. 15).
“Got those two jerseys hanging up on my wall still back in my room at my parents’ house," Witt said. “Just how they played the game hard and just how they just would always rise up to the occasion when needed.”
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