Rounding Third: Yost gets the last laugh

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – It wasn’t that long ago fans in Kansas City were calling for manager Ned Yost’s head. Heck, it was only about a month ago.

And he didn’t help his cause any on the national level when he nearly cost the Royals the wild card game against the Oakland Athletics, as he pulled starter and ace James Shields after just 86 pitches in favor of 23-year-old Yordano Ventura, who promptly gave up the lead.

That was the type of move Royals fans had grown accustomed to enduring. So much so that they coined a new adjective to describe situations when they seemed doomed by their manager: #yosted.

But, the resilient Royals found a way to battle back in that wild card game against the A’s and seven wins later they are back in the World Series for the first time since 1985.

And Yost, well, you can call him a dunce all you want, but he’s now the first manager in baseball history to guide his team to eight straight victories to start the postseason.

“I don’t need vindication. I’m real — you know, I’m comfortable with who I am,” Yost said. “And everything that I look at, I don’t look at much. But I’m the dumbest guy on the face of the earth. But I know that’s not true. I’ve got — I am smart enough to hire really, really good coaches and use them. But I’m real comfortable in my own skin. I don’t feel like I need vindication. I’m not looking for it, don’t care for it.”

Yost’s team made him look very smart, particularly his bullpen, which he handled masterfully against the Orioles.

Kansas City relievers allowed two runs in five innings in Game 1 against the O’s, but pitched 11 2/3 scoreless innings the rest of the way. The three- headed monster of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland pitched to a 0.61 ERA over 14 2/3 frames.

“It’s definitely been the model for us,” Yost said. “It started out, find a way to get the ball to Holly in the ninth inning. With Kelvin’s emergence this year, it turned into, ‘Let’s just find a way to get through six and we’re going to be in great shape.'”

Holland saved all four games in the series for the Royals, while no Kansas City starter recorded an out after the sixth inning.

“You get through the sixth inning and you’re down a run, and, all of a sudden, here comes Herrera, here comes Davis, and here comes Holland,” Yost added. “That’s a little bit deflating

There used to be a joke in New York that 75 percent of the world was covered in water and the other 25 percent was covered by Darrelle Revis. Well, people in Kansas City can now apply that joke to their outfield, particularly Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain.

“There’s really no weaknesses,” said Gordon, who set the tone in Wednesday’s win with a terrific catch, while running into a chain link fence. “It’s someone new every day, and someone new making the play every day. It’s pretty cool to be a part of eight guys out there that are very talented and very good at defense and good at what they do.”

Speaking of Cain, he has become the breakout star of these playoffs. He may not have hit much in the ALDS, but his play in center field was as big a part of that series win as was the work of the bullpen.

He let his bat do the talking against the Orioles, as he batted .533 (8- for-15) with two doubles, two walks and a stolen base and was named the MVP of the series.

“A lot of guys stepped up,” said Cain, who matched Willie Wilson’s 1985 franchise record with eight ALCS hits. “Any of those guys, or even the entire bullpen, is definitely deserving. Luckily, I got it.”

So many Royals have contributed. They are the definition of a team. And they can a number of different ways.

Nobody would have guessed it back in April, but the Royals are now four wins away from their first world title in 29 years.

Maybe, just maybe, Ned Yost will start to get some credit.

Categorized in: MLB