Royals-White Sox becoming a heated rivalry this year would be a good sign for KC

After the Kansas City Royals wrap up their series in Chicago this weekend, they’ll still have another 17 games against the White Sox this season.

If the Royals hope to overachieve, surpass their projections and chase the sorts of lofty ambitions they haven’t shied away from since making key additions this winter, then their clashes with the White Sox will likely play a crucial role in that pursuit.

“They’ve kind of had our number the last couple years,” Royals third baseman Hunter Dozier said prior to the series. “So yeah, we definitely want to get those games back. We want to play well against them.

“They are picked to finish top in the AL, definitely in our division, but we’re ready to go compete with them. It’s a totally different team this year — that we have. We’re excited and we’re ready for the challenge.”

The Royals-White Sox matchup contains many elements of a top-flight sports rivalry with perhaps a small spark needed to truly ignite what’s simmering beneath the surface.

By virtue of both teams being part of the American League’s Central Division, they are familiar with one another and are chasing a common goal. Now add long-running personal connections between individuals on both sides and a recent history that has included some hot-tempered conflicts between some of the clubs’ respective stars.

Climbing

The Royals made a bevy of offseason moves this winter geared towards immediate improvement and competing for the division title.

The additions included first baseman Carlos Santana, starting pitcher Mike Minor and outfielders Michael A. Taylor and Andrew Benintendi. They also brought back familiar veteran relievers Greg Holland and Wade Davis.

When questioned this winter about making moves with the notion of shooting for a division title as early as this year, Royals general manager Dayton Moore responded, “You look at the Chicago White Sox and the talent they have on the field, and I guess a lot of people would say, ‘Why are you trying to compete against them?’ Well, it’s because it’s the major leagues, and it’s our job. It’s our job to go out and try to be better than the Chicago White Sox along with everybody else.”

The idea that the Royals should accept a subordinate position to the White Sox clearly rubbed Moore the wrong way.

The last three years, the White Sox have climbed from fourth place and a 100-loss season in 2018 to third place in 2019 to second place and an above .500 record in 2020.

This year, they were widely viewed as the favorites in the division if not the American League.

During the recent three-year stretch, the Royals have gone 19-29 against the White Sox. That includes a 1-9 record last year in the pandemic-shortened season.

Last year, the White Sox won six of those games by three runs or less. Twice the White Sox registered walk-off wins.

The Royals hope to make a similar climb as the White Sox. They went through back-to-back 100-loss seasons before last year’s 26-34 step forward.

For them to complete their own climb, it will mean climbing over the White Sox.

History of tension

The rain and cold was ever-present as the Royals and White Sox players and staff were introduced individually prior to Thursday’s home opener at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.

Many of the players and staff members bundled up in coats and had hoods up as they lined up along the foul lines.

Some fans were hardly visible in the stands, their bodies hid under umbrellas, some swimming in expansive ponchos and others seemingly smothered in head-to-toe rain gear.

But those fans were heard lustily booing after they heard Royals starting pitcher Brad Keller’s name announced and his image on the video board. It was a sign that they hadn’t forgotten nor forgiven.

Last year, Keller appeared on a poll as one of the five biggest sports villains in Chicago last year. NBC Sports Chicago put together the poll.

Chicago’s animosity for Keller stems from his 2019 suspension for hitting White Sox star shortstop Tim Anderson with a pitch at Guaranteed Rate Field after Anderson celebrated a home run earlier in the game with a bat flip, scream and gesturing to the home dugout.

The pitch that hit Anderson on the butt led to a benches-clearing kerfuffle and the ejections of then Royals bench coach Dale Sveum, then White Sox manager Rick Renteria, Keller and Anderson.

Renteria and Anderson each received one game suspensions for their roles in the benches-clearing incident. Keller received a five-game suspension.

It wasn’t the lone incident between a prominent Royals player and Anderson.

The previous season, Anderson and Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez took exception to Anderson celebrating a home run and Perez made his feelings known when Anderson crossed home plate.

The two got into a heated discussion later in the game when Perez reached second base and Anderson initiated conversation from shortstop. The benches cleared in that incident as well, but Anderson and Perez shook hands at the end of it.

In interviews following that incident, Perez said he felt Anderson was disrespectful to the Royals and the pitcher who he hit that home run against, while Anderson contended he was simply playing with emotion and having fun.

Old friends

Normally, Royals infielder Nicky Lopez having grown up outside of Chicago in Naperville, Illinois, would be prime fodder for a rivalry story line — one of “their own” trying to take them down.

However, that gets dwarfed by the pupil-student dynamic present between Royals manager Mike Matheny and White Sox manager and Hall of Famer Tony La Russa.

Matheny played for La Russa in St. Louis from 2000-04 and then succeeded La Russa as manager of the Cardinals in 2012. In fact, Matheny has acknowledged that La Russa recognized Matheny’s future as a manager even before Matheny did.

“I learned a lot from him, but it was through different eyes,” Matheny said. “As I watch him now, it’s different. I was never trying to play junior manager while I was playing. So all I was doing was help be prepared for what might happen next.”

Matheny credits his time with La Russa for helping him understand the value of communication, preparation, handling young players, handling veteran players, but Matheny is quick to split that credit with other former managers of his such as Phil Garner, Jim Fregosi and Felipe Alou.

“As I got back, I wish I would have kept better notes,” Matheny said. “But you’re just so locked into doing your job.”

During a pregame video conference call with reporters on Thursday in Chicago, La Russa said managing against Matheny will be “very uncomfortable.”

“Probably the best example for years was Jim Leyland,” La Russa said. “We’re like brothers, and Mike is part of the family. He’s more like a son than a brother. When you’ve got a family member, you want them to have a good day, but I can’t want Mike to have a good day.”

Their shared background plus 19 head-to-head match-ups just might test that old saying that familiarity breeds contempt.

If nothing else, Matheny’s intense desire to win every game won’t get trumped by personal relationships.

“It’s the same every day,” Matheny said. “I don’t care who we’re playing. If my sweet mother was managing the team on the other side, I would be doing every single thing I could to beat her as well. I mean, it doesn’t matter.”