"It means a lot to be back here:" Nebraska natives turned into Royals look forward to MLB's first game in the state's history | Baseball



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OMAHA – One night when former Lincoln Southeast and Husker baseball star Alex Gordon was supposed to be playing in front of hometown crowd, the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers were fighting for the MLB's first game in Nebraska.

Nicky Lopez, a Creighton Bluejay alumna, made sure that the 25,454 fans at all TD Ameritrade Park sellers would have something to celebrate. Lopez's solo bomb in the second inning gave the Royals a 1-0 lead and Kansas City (22-46) took a 7-3 win over the Tigers (25-40).

Gordon was hit by a shot in Wednesday's game and, despite its end, the triple star champion and World Series champion could not play Thursday night.

"It's unfortunate that I'm not in training," Gordon said before the game. "Back in Nebraska, you want to be there for your fans, where you grew up, so it's unfortunate."

Royals coach Ned Yost said it was his fault that Gordon had not played and fought the decision for hours after Wednesday's game.

"I talked to Alex and you know that Alex is a warrior and that he will want to go, and since we are here, it means a lot to him," Yost said. "It's too important for us. … I really regret that Alex can not play this game but I think it's best for our team and our organization. To all his fans, all I can say is that I'm sorry. "

Gordon, who averages .274 with 10 home homers, 40 points and 39 RBIs per season, is enjoying a rebound season for KC at the age of 35. Gordon's difficulties since the end of the 2015 season have been well reported, but He is growing in the third year of a four-year contract worth $ 72 million.

"I think it's been the Royals' poster," said George Brett, a member of the MLB Hall of Fame. "He has always had a great work ethic and no one works harder than him. He had an excellent career and his career may not be over because he has a great year this year. "

Brett, who played 133 games with the Stormchasers in the 1973-74 seasons, joked that even though he did not remember much about his stay in Omaha, he was delighted to leave his resort. apartments at 84th and Q streets when the Royals called it up.

"It's good to be back," said Brett. "When my kids were younger, we would come to Omaha every year to attend the College World series, so it's good to be back."

Gordon said it was not the only reason the crowd was excited, as two other state-linked Royals were also preparing.

Wymore-born Jake Diekman, who signed with the Royals as a new season off-season, said it was great to play for the team that played in MLB's first game in Nebraska. Diekman, who lives in Béatrice during the off-season, hopes the game will become an annual affair.

While Gordon and Diekman have ties to the state, Lopez has ties to Omaha and TD Ameritrade Park.

The rookie second-baseman played three seasons for Creighton before the Royals hindered him in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB draft. The Chicago native was named for the first time at the Omaha Stormchasers in the 2018 season. and began tearing the Triple A in 2019 before receiving the big-league appeal.

"It means a lot to be back here," Lopez said before the game. "I am blessed and humbled by that. … I can not really say what it meant to enter this pavilion. It all started at Creighton for me, so I'm happy to be back here.

During his career as Bluejay, Lopez only hit two circuits, including one at TD Ameritrade Park. The latter took place during his last game at the park, May 17, 2016 against the Huskers. Lopez took the first pitch he saw in that bat and dropped it on the right field wall.

Baseball is a fun game. Thursday night, in his first game at TD Ameritrade Park since his home run, the 5-foot-11 speedster launched his first MLB career home run on the right-hand pitch wall – almost identical. at his house ran three years ago.

Thursday's game marks the kickoff of the 2019 World University Baseball Series, which begins Saturday. It is the 70th consecutive year that Omaha is the host of the event.

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