Los Angeles Angels pitcher Johnny Cueto was wearing a different uniform when he took the mound at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday night, but Kansas City Royals fans still felt the same about him.
It was all love for the 2015 World Series champion, who pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed three runs while taking the loss in his first big-league outing of the 2024 season. As Cueto, who was pulled from the game with a runner on first in the bottom of the seventh inning, walked off the mound, Royals fans showered him with a standing ovation in a classy moment.
Cueto nodded his head to the fans in acknowledgment, then twice tipped his cap en route to the dugout.
Royals fans don't forget Johnny Cueto's contributions to the 2015 team 👏 pic.twitter.com/diuKWtUGKN
— MLB (@MLB) August 22, 2024
The Royals, fresh off of a run to the World Series in 2014, where they lost in heartbreaking fashion to the San Francisco Giants, were eyeing another run to the Fall Classic but needed a frontline starter to help them get there. Cueto, then a true number-one starter, was acquired by Kansas City in a deal with the Cincinnati Reds back in July of 2015.
While the two-time All-Star struggled in the stretch run, he came up with a huge performance in Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Mets, tossing a complete game while allowing just a pair of hits and one run.
Kansas City would go on to win its first World Series since 1985, and the fans never forgot Cueto's contributions.
Cueto, 38, hadn't pitched in the majors since last September with the Miami Marlins. He signed a minor-league deal with the defending-champion Texas Rangers in April, then opted out of his deal and was released in July after a rocky nine starts for Triple-A Round Rock. But he landed with the Angels on a minor-league contract later in July, then was called up to the majors with the club dealing with injuries in the rotation.
And it certainly meant a great deal to Cueto to make his return to MLB at Kauffman Stadium.
"I was part of the 2015 World Series champs, and I had to pitch [Game 5 of the ALDS against the Astros], and they know, they recognize that,” Cueto told MLB.com through his interpreter. "And I feel grateful. I thank God. I love to pitch here, and they recognize what I did.
"It’s an unbelievable feeling. I came here in 2022 with the White Sox [and then] here today. It’s an amazing experience. I feel very blessed, very thankful for the fans, for the ovations and everything. And I’m very thankful to Salvy and my teammates who won the championship with me, too."
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Royals Fans Gave World Series Hero Johnny Cueto a Standing Ovation in Classy Moment.
