It took the Kansas City Royals 29 years to make it back to the postseason after they won the 1985 World Series.
So it figures the guy they have to beat to advance to the ALDS is one who could be considered their ultimate kryptonite.
The Oakland Athletics looked like they would be the top team in baseball a couple months ago, but they’ve since sputtered to the finish. On Tuesday, they’ll try to prove they’re the team that started the season, not the one that finished it. They'll be fighting some history, though -- they're 0-6 in winner-take-all postseason games with Billy Beane as general manager.
Here’s a look at some of the key statistical storylines for this year’s AL Wild Card Game.
Jon Lester owns the Royals … and the postseason
The Athletics traded their cleanup hitter, Yoenis Cespedes, at the trade deadline to get the pitcher they felt was best suited for a game such as this: left-hander Jon Lester.
Behind Lester
Athletics Bullpen in 2014
Lester had a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts with the Athletics. He’s 9-3 with a 1.84 ERA in his career against the Royals (best in MLB), including 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA against Kansas City this season. He no-hit the Royals in 2008.
Lester also has a 1.97 ERA in 11 career postseason starts, and he’s 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA all-time when facing James Shields, the pitcher on the mound for the Royals on Tuesday.
James Shields: Better away from home?
The Royals traded their top prospect, Wil Myers, to get Shields prior to the 2013 season, with the hope he’d pitch in a game such as this.
Behind Shields
Notable Royals Relievers
Interestingly, Shields has not had a lot of success in his home ballpark the past two seasons. He’s 7-12 with a 3.95 ERA at Kauffman Stadium since the start of the past season and 20-5 with a 2.52 ERA elsewhere.
Shields is 2-4 with a 4.98 ERA in six career postseason starts.
He is, however, coming in hot. He has a 2.14 ERA in his past six starts. Opponents are hitting only .199 against him in that span.
He also has a 2.03 ERA in his past four starts against the Athletics.
Royals difference-maker: Outfield defense
The Kansas City offense isn’t one that scores a lot of runs, so the Royals will likely need to keep this game low-scoring. Their outfield defense is capable of making a big impact in that regard.
Royals outfielders led the major leagues this season with 46 Defensive Runs Saved.
Left fielder Alex Gordon accounted for 27 of those, the fourth most DRS of anyone in the major leagues and the most by a left fielder. Lorenzo Cain, who can play center or right field, depending whether the Royals play Jarrod Dyson or Norichika Aoki, ranked just behind Gordon with 24.
The Royals excel at making the great play. They led the majors with 40 Web Gems. Gordon’s 13 were one shy of the major-league lead shared by his teammate, Alcides Escobar, and Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.
Athletics difference-maker: Josh Donaldson
The Athletics lineup features one of the best players in the game in third baseman Josh Donaldson.
Josh Donaldson
#20 3B
Oakland Athletics
2014 STATS
- GM158
HR29
RBI98
R93
OBP.342
- AVG.255
Donaldson ranked second to Mike Trout in Wins Above Replacement in the American League this season (7.4). He did that on the strength of power-hitting (29 home runs) and defense (20 Defensive Runs Saved).
Donaldson hit 18 home runs in road games this season, a total that ranked fourth in the American League.
X factor: A guy hitting .120?
In infielder Jayson Nix, Royals manager Ned Yost has an interesting player at his disposal, if he chooses to use him.
Nix was 10-for-83 in the regular season, but he is a .308 hitter with three home runs in 26 at-bats against Lester. The home runs all came on fastballs, two of which were 94 mph or faster.
Did you know? Long waits
Each team has a story about a long drought. The Royals haven't been to the playoffs since 1985, when they won the World Series. They had the longest MLB stint without a postseason appearance prior to clinching a spot this past week.
For the Athletics, Adam Dunn will finally make his postseason debut. Dunn has played in 2,001 regular-season games, the most of any active player without a postseason appearance. The Elias Sports Bureau notes the most recent player to play in more before making his postseason debut was Hall of Famer Billy Williams, who played in 2,368 before he played for the Athletics in the 1975 ALCS.
