Sights and sounds from Royals' playoff clinch celebration

This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers’ Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- Welcome to the end of the 162-game season.

Are you ready for more baseball?

For the first time since 2015, the Royals will be playing in October. Salvador Perez is back in the postseason. Bobby Witt Jr. will make his playoff debut.

And the Royals are bringing one of the Majors' best rotations into the best-of-three Wild Card Series.

“I like our chances,” Royals CEO/chairman John Sherman said. “All we [wanted] to do is play meaningful baseball in August and September and have a chance to play in October. Now, here we are.”

• Postseason FAQ: What's next for Royals?

Before we dive into full postseason content (and plenty of that to come, don’t worry), let’s empty the notebook from the Royals’ clinch celebration…

The wait
It was an odd situation Friday when the Royals lost to the Braves, 3-0, but they stuck around in the visiting clubhouse at Truist Park to wait out the Orioles-Twins game. With the Twins’ 7-2 loss, the Royals were in.

The Royals gathered in a room in the clubhouse together and watched, eyes glued to the TVs. At the final out, they erupted in cheers.

“We were frustrated we couldn’t win and celebrate right away, but you look back, and it’s a long season, so we deserve to celebrate,” Witt said. “I was pacing around the clubhouse the entire time, jittery and emotional. This is what I worked for in the offseason, in Spring Training, the entire season, to get to here. Now we have the opportunity, and we have to make the most of it.”

That ended up being a favorite moment from Friday night because of the fact they were surrounded only by their teammates, coaches and staff.

“Being able to hug everybody in that room and say we made it into the playoffs, especially after how tough last year was, it was just amazing,” Alec Marsh said. “This whole team, how close we are, just the excitement that everyone had, it was powerful. It was just love.”

“This is my family,” Angel Zerpa added. “I’ll remember every moment of this night.”

Witt’s genuine elation
One of the things that is so special about watching Witt play is the genuine happiness he exhibits on a baseball field. He loves this game.

So watching him celebrate his first postseason berth with the Royals -- with the dance moves, the cigar, the beer cans strapped to his goggles -- was as wholesome and as genuine as it gets.

“This is what I dreamed of as a kid,” Witt told me. “I saw the pictures. I bought the shirts. Now I’m in the pictures. And I have the shirt.”

Even better that the Royals got their star shortstop to the playoffs in the first year of the contract extension Witt signed in February that could keep him in Kansas City for 14 years.

“Hopefully it’s the first of many for him,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “That’s what I told him: You committed to us, we committed to you. But you did the lion’s share of the work. And this will be the first of many. Enjoy this one.”

Celebrating the owner…
Ask anybody about the Royals’ turnaround from 106 losses in 2023 to reaching the postseason this year, and they’ll mention Sherman, whose spending this past offseason helped bring in free agents. He put his faith in Picollo’s vision to remake the roster and made changes up and down the organization.

Perez made sure to pull Sherman into the middle of the room right before the team popped champagne. The 69-year-old owner donned his own pair of goggles and grinned. Later, he stood off to the side, watching and listening to the players chant and dance around the room.

“These guys are ready,” Sherman said.

“I really enjoyed seeing Mr. Sherman in there and how much he enjoyed it,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “The players clearly are going to be excited. But the people who work in the organization, who have been here a long time, all the work they’ve put in over the years, seeing them appreciate what just happened and where we are. Especially after what they’ve been through over the last several years is what will really stick out in my mind.”

A shirtless Vinnie Pasquantino took a swig of Budweiser and recalled a moment back in December, when Picollo and his front office discussed a trade that would send Pasquantino to the Marlins for young starter Jesús Luzardo.

Instead, Kansas City was able to sign Michael Wacha for $32 million at Sherman’s authorization.

“Shoutout to John Sherman for what he’s done,” Pasquantino said. “I appreciate him for not trading me and signing Wacha. That was nice.”

And the Hall of Famer in the middle of it
Soaked down to the bone in champagne and beer and whatever else was dumped on him Friday night was the greatest Royal of all time: George Brett. Picollo had invited Brett to Washington, D.C., this week in case the Royals clinched there, but he ended up meeting the team in Atlanta, and he got to be part of the celebration.

The Hall of Famer was, well, let’s just say he was having a good time!

“Well, when you lose 106 games one year and then you get in the playoffs the next, it’s pretty amazing,” Brett said.

I asked him when he was convinced that this team could make it to October.

“I would say about halfway through the season,” Brett said. “I said, ‘These guys got a chance.’ …They overcame the long losing streaks. We have such good starting pitching. The bullpen is good. The defense is great. Offense is [iffy], had some ups and downs. But, you know, anything can happen now. It’s exciting. It really is exciting.”

And then I asked him what it meant to him to see the Royals back in the playoffs.

“What does it mean to me?” Brett said. “I didn’t get a hit, I didn’t drive in a run, I didn’t strike out anybody. I didn’t do [anything]. I’m just here.”

And we’re glad for it.