KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Boos rained down from Royals fans at Kauffman Stadium at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, just as Marcus Semien circled the bases and another game slipped away too early from the home team.
The Rangers went on to win this one 12-2. The Royals fell to 4-14 on the season and 1-11 at home.
That particular sixth-inning moment, however, seemed the most telling.
KC had kept things competitive to that point, trailing 3-2 as reliever Carlos Hernandez entered with a clean inning.
The next five Texas batters went like this: single, single, single, single, home run — that final blast coming from Semien to the seats in left-center.
Suddenly, it was 8-2, and as Royals manager Matt Quatraro took the ball from Hernandez on the mound, the Royals fans let them have it.
Yes, they booed Hernandez, but also the team ... and the year’s crummy start.
There’s still time, of course. Baseball provides more chances than any sport to bounce back. And it’s worth noting that after Tuesday the Royals had only just completed one-ninth of their season.
The reality remains: KC has lost any optimism gifted by the promise of a new year. Even with an extended run of good baseball, it will need weeks to emerge from the deep hole it has spent the first month digging.
Wednesday’s afternoon finale against the Rangers provides one more home opportunity to snap some ugly streaks. KC has lost five straight and eight of its last nine. In addition, the Royals have now dropped eight in a row at Kauffman Stadium.
Giving the home fans something to cheer about, then, would not only be a welcome change.
It also could give some hope that the final 89% of the season might not resemble the start.
