Image credit: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

The Royals were this close. They were on the edge of sweeping the Seattle Mariners in the most unlikeliest of fashions this past weekend. After the rollicking comeback on Friday and the clobbering they gave Seattle on Saturday, the sweep came down to Sunday’s game. It certainly wasn’t going to be easy – after all, Seattle is a first-place team (by default, but still) and they had yet another stud on the mound with George Kirby. The Royals were countering with their ace, Cole Ragans – but it was going to be an uphill battle.

However, the Royals were right in the thick of things thanks to some small ball and long balls, and had a chance to win the game in extra innings – but it came down to three specific moments that swung the tide for Seattle.

Moment 1:

Seattle infielder Josh Rojas started the inning on second base, thanks to the extra-innings ghost runner rule. Rojas was sacrificed over to third base when Moment #1 unfolded. On a 2-2 count, Royals catcher Freddy Fermin set up WAAAAY outside and basically called a pitchout and threw down to third. Mikael Garcia applied the tag – and third base umpire Phil Cuzzi looked like he was ready to punch out Rojas, and then changed his mind and called him safe.

The Royals challenged the call, and it was very close. One of the few times where it was actually a tie. It hurts to say, but I didn’t think there was enough to overturn the call – but I’m also of the mindset that the umpire rewarded the player who nodded off and put himself in position to be picked off rather than the team who executed a pickoff play to near perfection.

This would have left the bases empty with two outs – and then JP Crawford struck out on an absolutely filthy two-seamer by James MacArthur. Who knows what would’ve transpired with Crawford, but this moment certainly would’ve swung the momentum towards KC.

Moment 2:

Speaking of Rojas, he came around to score on Dylan Moore’s single. This one hurt because MacArthur had Moore down 0-2, and threw a dirty, dirty curve – precisely where he wanted it. Moore offered at the pitch and held up, and neither home plate umpire Tony Randazzo or first base umpire Alex Tosi thought it was a swing.

Moore, to his credit, worked a walk and scored on Julio Rodriguez’s single. If that check swing is called a strike, then MacArthur and the Royals are batting in the 10th tied at 3-3. MacArthur certainly deserves the lion’s share of the blame for not attacking Moore – but that check swing was awfully deflating.

Moment 3:

This one hurts. The Royals, with a base open, decided to pitch to Julio Rodriguez instead of putting him on and facing a struggling Mitch Garver. Sure, Garver had homered in the series – but I was willing to take a chance on facing him rather than Rodriguez who is batting (checks notes) 10 billion against KC pitching.

The Royals thought otherwise and gave Rodriguez something to hit, and he made them pay with a nice opposite-field single to right. If the Mariners don’t get any runs there, the Royals are tied going into the 10th with a runner on second. I like our chances of getting that run across the plate.

Taking two out of three from Seattle is nothing to be ashamed of – but man, the Royals were just an eyelash away from getting the sweep with the damn Yankees coming into town.