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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

After World Series run, Royals proving rebuild was no fluke

American League manager Ned Yost, of the Kansas City Royals hugs American League's Salvador Perez, of the Kansas City Royals after the MLB All-Star baseball game, Tuesday, July 14, 2015, in Cincinnati. The American League won 6-3. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
American League manager Ned Yost, of the Kansas City Royals hugs American League's Salvador Perez, of the Kansas City Royals after the MLB All-Star baseball game, Tuesday, July 14, 2015, in Cincinnati. The American League won 6-3. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – On a crisp, cool night last October, John Schuerholz walked through the gates of Kauffman Stadium. Every seat was full, bunting hung proudly from the railings. There was a buzz.

It was all so familiar.

“That’s what we used to have all the time,” he told The Associated Press, reflecting on the Royals’ improbable run to the World Series. “To see that back, and the banners over the plaza and all over the town, it was heartwarming. It really was.”

Kansas City had once again become a baseball town.

And if anybody thought that it was a fluke, a lucky run to a memorable autumn climax, the Royals have done enough to prove them wrong: Seven players chosen to this week’s All-Star Game, a big lead in the AL Central, some of the best young talent in the game in their clubhouse.