Cinderella hoping for ‘Royal’ finish

With the MLB playoffs going on, and despite my team not being in the running anymore, I am still really excited for this year’s World Series.

So far, the Kansas City Royals (better yet, this year’s Cinderella) are the team to look out for. Cinderella went up against the Oakland A’s in the Wild Card game and beat them. Then they went head-to-head with the Los Angeles Angels, a team that had the best overall record in the MLB, and swept the series, 3-0, and if that weren’t enough, Cinderella decided to go 4-0 in their American League Championship Series with the Baltimore Orioles.

This is a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs in 29 years, and now they are undefeated after eight playoff games. Not bad for a team that wasn’t even invited to the dance for almost three decades.

In that first game against the A’s, the Royals were down 7-3 in the eighth inning and they brought in a young man, Brandon Finnegan, who played in the College World Series only four months ago, in June. Now, he will be pitching in the “real” World Series. This guy is only one year older than I am, that’s nuts! He has gone through three different teams in the last three months alone, ultimately making his way to that mound in front of Oakland. I certainly have high hopes for my personal MVP pick for the American League playoffs.

Kansas City has won the AL pennant and will play either the St. Louis Cardinals or the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. It’s looking like the Giants (as of the Advocate’s Thursday deadline, the Giants lead 3-1 in their National League Championship Series and only need one more win to clinch the spot).

I can’t say for sure who will win it all, as both teams (will be) good.

If I didn’t know everything I do about the Royals’ postseason, I would probably say the Giants, if they make it. However, given what I do know, I would have to bet on Cinderella. They have had a gresat postseason and are hoping to make history as the first team to go undefeated all through to the title.