On Wednesday, former Royals first baseman, Eric Hosmer, announced his retirement from the MLB after 13 seasons via social media. As someone who watched every at-bat, gold glove play, and clutch hit, I thought it would be a good tribute to Hosmer and his incredible stint in Kansas City to highlight my five favorite moments he provided.
5: Go ahead home run, 2014 ALDS game 2
After an unbelievable Wild Card win and upset in game one, the Royals found themselves in extra innings in game two against the 98-win Angels. Eric Hosmer came to the plate in the top of the 11th inning. With a runner on first and one out, he came through. This was the third consecutive playoff game that had gone into extra innings, and the bullpen was completely taxed. If the Royals didn’t score soon, it felt inevitable that the Angels would walk it off.
Hosmer took advantage of the moment. He swung on the first pitch of the at-bat, sending a bomb into right field to take the lead. Moments like these are what made Hosmer. He was completely fearless in the biggest moment of every big game. All the close losses from early in the Hosmer tenure had prepared him for that moment, and he came through.
5: Walk off sacrifice fly, 2015 World Series game 1
One thing I realized while making this list was how mentally tough Hosmer was. Earlier in the game, Hosmer misplayed a ball in the 8th inning, which allowed the Mets to take the lead. I’ve seen a lot of guys crumble after making a mistake like that. Think of Daniel Murphy in that series; he couldn’t field anything as that series went on. After Alex Gordon sent the game to extras with one of the biggest hits in postseason history, the Royals and Mets got into a late-night bullpen off.
The Royals bullpen pitched their fifth consecutive scoreless frame. Then, the lineup got going and loaded the bases up in the bottom of the 14th inning. Hosmer cost the team a run earlier in the game but got a chance here. Not only did Hosmer have the pressure of needing to knock in the winning run, but he also found himself in a two-strike count. As if it were just another regular-season game in June, Hosmer choked up on the bat and delivered a deep flyball to right field, which was good enough to score the winning run.
3: RBI single, 2015 ALCS game 6
Admittedly, this play is remembered more for Lorenzo Cain dashing from first to home, but that’s why I’m placing it on my list. I think because of the incredible baserunning, we forget how big of a hit it was. The Blue Jays had just tied the game in the top of the 8th inning and stolen all of the momentum from the Royals. The Royals losing a game where they got a fantastic start from Yordano Ventura would have been deflating. Under these circumstances, who else outside of 35 would you want at the plate with the game on the line?
You see, people often like to note that Cain scored from first on a single, but the context they don’t provide is that this wasn’t an average single. Hosmer hit a laser into right field that forced Jose Bautista to sprint to cut it off, which ultimately altered his throw into his cutoff man. This ball was hit at doubles depth, but in that moment, Hosmer had no reason to stretch it. It was an all-time moment that ultimately put the Royals back in the World Series.
2: Extra inning triple, 2014 Wild Card
This was the moment I fell in love with Eric Hosmer’s game. The 2014 Wild Card game is widely regarded as one of the best baseball games of all time, and for good reason. This was the birth of the Cinderella run that the Royals went on in the 2014 postseason, and none of it would’ve ever happened without Hosmer’s hit in the bottom of the 12th inning. After climbing back from down four, the Royals once again found themselves behind with only two outs remaining. Hosmer uncorked on a pitch to deep left-center field that missed being a home run by feet.
After that ball bounced off the top of the wall and the cameras cut to Hosmer racing around second base, you just got the feeling something special was happening in Kansas City. I can still see Hosmer pumping his fist in excitement as he rolled into third in my head. In what was his first chance to be a hero, Hosmer delivered one of the most exciting hits in franchise history. As a young Royals fan who wasn’t alive for the 1985 World Series team, this was truly the biggest moment I’d ever gotten to watch, and Hosmer became an all-time favorite of mine because of it.
1: “Stealing” home, 2015 World Series game 5
Was there another option for the number one spot? To this day, I cannot believe Hosmer ran home. I went back and watched this play while creating this list and realized it encapsulated who Eric Hosmer was perfectly. Before we dive into the play itself, though, I always feel like his at-bat that resulted in an RBI double and knocked Matt Harvey out of the game isn’t talked about enough. In a game where the Royals couldn’t hit anything Harvey threw, Hosmer knocked him out of the game and got himself on base as the tying run in the top of the 9th inning.
After a Mike Moustakas groundout to first, Hosmer advanced 90 feet and was in prime position to score the tying run. Anything hit into the outfield most likely scores him. The problem? Salvador Perez hit a weak grounder to third, essentially giving Hosmer no chance to score. But this is Eric Hosmer we’re talking about; when has he ever played with any fear? Hosmer did what that Royals team did all season long: force the other team to make the play. After Lucas Duda ended up air-mailing the throw, Hosmer slid in safely to tie game 5, which the Royals would ultimately go on to clinch the franchise’s first World Series in 30 years.
