Big Walks, the Stars Starring and a Badly Needed Win

It wasn't a true must-win, but the Royals needed that one and they got it.

There is no such thing as a must-win game on August 7. When facing the possibility of a sweep to the team that could swap places with your team in the standings on the day that the first place team lost twice and the team directly in front of your team also lost, though, well, they really needed to win. At the end of the day, the Royals did what they’ve done so many times throughout the season; they’ve done what good teams do and they’ve limited the losing. Six times now, they’ve won the final game of a series that went three games or longer to avoid a sweep. In 11 other series, they won a single game.

It may seem like a small thing, but that’s 17 games that kept them from being swept. The 2023 Royals were swept 14 times. Take away 14 wins from the 2024 Royals and they’re 50-66. Sure, that’s better, but their ability to grab a game here and there and not get stuck in long losing streaks is a defining characteristic. And for some reason, when the stars are stars, it feels a little bit better. So let’s look at what the stars did last night.