George Brett + YouTube: How the Royals boned up on historic KC-NY Yankees rivalry

The Kansas City Royals organization is no stranger to playing important games in New York City.

In the 1970s, the Royals and Yankees were embroiled in an intense, seasons-long battle for American League supremacy. Every game between the clubs was significant and tensions frequently flared both on and off the field.

Fights and arguments were commonplace. To this day, some Royals fans still harbor a smoldering hatred for Graig Nettles on behalf of franchise icon George Brett.

The Yankees eliminated the Royals in the American League Championship Series in 1976, 1977 and 1978. The Royals’ losing streak against New York was finally extinguished in the 1980 ALCS, when KC swept the Yankees and advanced to the World Series.

Renewal of the rivalry

The 1980 ALCS was the last postseason series between the Royals and Yankees … until now.

The red-hot 2024 Royals face the loaded 2024 Yankees in Game 1 of an American League Division Series on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. The Royals arrive as popular underdogs, while the Yankees are eyeing their first World Series since 2009.

The organizations’ longstanding rivalry renews with fresh names and faces, of course. In fact, many current Royals weren’t even alive yet when the series reached its high point.

That gap in knowledge has been largely bridged thanks to YouTube. A number of KC players have watched old video clips in hopes of learning more about this storied rivalry’s magnitude.

“I think back then, there definitely wasn’t as much friendliness between teams like it is now,” Royals reliever Daniel Lynch IV said. “But when it comes down to it, at this time of the year anyone is going to be a rival when you are in this situation.”

The Royals arrived at Yankee Stadium Friday for their pre-ALDS workout. Players were loose and excited to compete on a national stage. They seemed to understand that facing the Yankees comes with increased attention.

“Yeah, just from hearing it from George Brett and just how that kind of little rivalry went around (was cool),” Witt said. “(He talked about j)ust trying to create your own legacy with the team we have here and how special (this opportunity) is.”

The Yankees finished 94-68 in the regular season this year and manager Aaron Boone believes his team is prepared to make a deep postseason run. But he doesn’t underestimate the Royals.

“We’ve got the Kansas City Royals in here coming off a really strong series playing with confidence,” Boone said. “Our focus is on (KC starting pitcher) Michael Wacha in Game 1. And you’ve got to stay present, certainly, especially in the postseason.”

More intense moments are no doubt in store now that the Royals and Yankees are meeting in the playoffs again. Players on both sides are ready to bring some playoff success to their respective fanbases.

Lynch doesn’t expect on-field fireworks Saturday, but he said he is excited to see and feel the elevated intensity.

“I think that fire is just wanting to compete and wanting to win,” he said. “I think that’s where it all comes from. Regardless of the intensity between teams, I think there is that intensity within us all to win that bad.”

Wacha, KC’s Game 1 starter, knows the importance of the KC-NY rivalry.

“I wasn’t born then, but I definitely have seen some highlights over the past couple days once we knew the matchup,” he said. “It’s great. It’s great for the fans, to bring back those games and those memories.

“We’re looking forward to this opportunity that we’ve got here in New York. Hopefully we can go out there and compete the way we’ve been competing and make the Kansas City fans proud.”

Royals manager Matt Quatraro, a native New Yorker, knows a lot about this particular postseason rivalry. He grew up as a Yankees fan and shared a different perspective on Saturday’s series opener.

“They were the team,” Quatraro said of the Royals. “As a fan of the Yankees growing up, (it was) ‘Oh, we’re playing the Royals again.’

“As a kid, Kansas City was another planet away for me. That was out West. They’d go out West, and they were tough games or whatever — that kind of mentality. But clearly I knew who George Brett was and how good he was. And Willie Wilson and the guys that affected the games. I was always aware of Dennis Leonard, because he’s from the same town as my aunt and uncle lived in and all that.

“I just had a pretty good awareness of them from a young age and how talented they were. But when you keep playing the same team year after year in the playoffs, you have no choice but to take note of them.”

Now it’s time to add another chapter to a decades-old story. The Yankees won five of the seven meetings with KC this season, but the Royals are riding a hot streak after sweeping the O’s in the wild-card round.

“We know who we are,” Witt said. “We’re the Kansas City Royals. We do our thing.”