KANSAS CITY -- World Series reunions can do more than bring a team together to recount now-legendary memories.
They can also settle a 40-year promise.
As the Royals prepare to celebrate the anniversary of the 1985 and 2015 World Series teams against the Cardinals this weekend at Kauffman Stadium, Royals Hall of Famer George Brett had one thing on his mind -- paying Darryl Motley his long overdue $100.
“Well, I remember in the dugout in the bottom of the eighth [in Game 7 of the World Series] when we were hitting, it was 11-0,” Brett said. “We were all saying, ‘Whoever catches the last out gets 100 bucks from everybody on the team.’ Why not?”
The team agreed, and minutes later they won Kansas City its first World Series. Except they forgot one thing -- until Brett saw Motley in a hotel lobby on Thursday, 14,445 days since the final out.
“Nobody else has ever paid me for that,” Motley joked ahead of the dual celebration at Union Station for the 1985 and 2015 teams. “I remember they told me whoever catches the last out, everybody has to give him 100 dollars. As soon as we won the whole thing, I caught the last out, I couldn’t even believe it was coming to me actually, and after I caught it -- everybody scattered.”
It was a playful joke that displayed the bond the team created, and has kept, since winning the World Series nearly four decades ago. And it was the same for the 2015 squad, with over 20 players arriving in Kansas City from each World Series team to celebrate the 40-and 10-year anniversaries on Friday and Saturday at Kauffman Stadium, which will include back-to-back pregame ceremonies and fan giveaways to honor Kansas City’s only two championship clubs.
For the 1985 team, that meant reminiscing on the American League Championship Series against the Blue Jays, when the Royals battled out of a 2-0 and 3-1 series hole to reach the World Series. Brett’s 4-for-4 performance in Game 3 -- which included two homers, three RBIs and throwing out a runner at home -- has been heralded as one of the moments that saved Kansas City’s season.
“I picked a good day to have the best day of my life. It was the best game I ever played, by far,” Brett said. “And it was one of the most important games, as it turned out. If we lose that game, I don’t think we’re going to come back and win four straight. … That’s something I’ll never forget.”
After falling short to the Yankees in the ALCS in 1976, ‘77 and ‘78 before losing the World Series in six games in ‘80 to the Phillies, the Royals once again found themselves in a 2-0 series hole in ‘85 against the Cardinals in the now-historic I-70 series rivalry.
An infamous Game 6 call gave the Royals life three outs from elimination, and they ran off with it in Game 7.
“We were very fortunate,” Brett said. “We got a good call in Game 6, obviously, in the ninth inning. I’ve said this a lot of times. You’ve got to show up to play Game 7. We did, and they didn’t. And we beat them, 11-0.”
It would be 29 years before the next Royals squad would reach the postseason, once again ending in a decisive Game 7 of the World Series. This time, Kansas City fell short -- with the tying run left on third base.
But it was that postseason run that changed the belief inside the Royals' clubhouse – originating from the truly wild, extra-inning 2014 AL Wild Card Game.
“I think everything always goes back to the Wild Card Game in ‘14,” said Mike Moustakas, who trails only Brett (10) for most home runs (6) in Royals playoff history. “I’ll say it to this day, I think it’s one of the greatest baseball games ever played.
“After that game, I felt we knew that we belonged and we were able to ride that all the way to Game 7 [in 2014] and into 2015, where we obviously ended up finishing it off. Once you know you belong in the big leagues and you know you can win, it’s a pretty special feeling.”
The 2015 team had its fair share of legendary moments as well, from erasing a four-run deficit in the 8th inning of an elimination game vs. Houston in the ALDS, Lorenzo Cain’s first-to-home sprint and Wade Davis’ rain-delayed save in Game 6 of the ALCS to Eric Hosmer’s mad dash home in Game 5 of the World Series -- but Moustakas went back to Alex Gordon’s game-tying ninth-inning homer in Game 1 of the Fall Classic.
“I think that was one of the greatest moments I ever witnessed on a baseball field,” Moustakas said. “It was kind of the epitome of us as a team. … I’m getting the chills thinking about it right now. But it’s just so amazing that what we were able to accomplish, we did it together.”
And now, 10 years later, this squad is also together for the weekend -- recounting other memorable events such as Alcides Escobar’s inside-the-park-homer in the World Series or the Royals’ first -- and only -- AL Central title in team history. But it’s still the memories shared off the field, with each other, with fans and the entire community that makes this reunion so special.
“A lot of people talk about the memories they shared with their families during those moments, and we all share that, right? That’s what we love about sports,” said Dayton Moore, who was the general manager for the Royals from 2006-21. “What it does for the community, how it unites us for one common purpose, that’s truly the beauty of it.”
For Moustakas, that’s what he’s looking forward to this weekend -- once again sharing the feelings with the fans that transformed the city in 1985 and 2015.
“Just as much as it was for us, it was for this city, too,” Moustakas said. “It was 30 years since we had won another one, and to do that and give this city and these people what it deserves, it was an incredible feeling. And then to share that during the parade, that was one of the most incredible moments of my life -- driving down the streets and seeing all those fans. And then getting on the stage and just seeing a sea of blue out there, it was incredible.”