NEW YORK (AP) — Happy to be on track for an AL Division Series matchup against the Yankees, Bobby Witt Jr. streamed YouTube on the train ride from Baltimore to New York to watch some Derek Jeter highlights of postseasons past. “Just being able to see it,” Witt recalled Friday, “just because of just how the stadium is, how the fans at, just wanted to kind of just take it all in.
” A year removed from a 106-loss season, the wild-card Royals face the AL-best Yankees in a best-of-five series starting Saturday night, a renewal of passion-filled playoffs of 1976-78 and '80. “This isn't a series, this is war,” said Hall of Famer George Brett, a Royals star of those memorable matchups, tossing in a profanity for emphasis. Kansas City won its only championships in 1985 and 2015.
Witt remembered as 14-year-old watching the Royals — and current teammate Salvador Perez, reach the World Series only to lose to San Francisco in seven games. “Just to see what that team did and kind of like the underdog story in ways,” he said. Witt drove in both go-ahead runs in the first-round sweep at Baltimore as the Royals outscored the Orioles 3-1.
New York had a first-round bye. With Aaron Judge and free-agent-to-be Juan Soto together for perhaps their only season, the Yankees play before demanding fans insisting on the team's first title since No. 27 in 2009.
“Thankfully we’re not playing against their tradition,” Royals manager Matt Quartraro said. “We’re playing against .