29 years.

Can you imagine your baseball team not making the postseason for 29 years?!? Of course, the last time they made the postseason, 1985, they won the World Series, but 29 years?!? I’m not even 29 yet. That’s my whole life plus another 7 years!

But they finally did it this year.

Oct 21, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas reacts after hitting a double against the San Francisco Giants in the third inning during game one of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Ari Louis (TLV1) spoke to Bram Weinstein (ESPN) about the World Series (click here to listen), and Weinstein mentioned how they Royals aren’t even a great team. No one did and no one ever will call these Royals a great team. What happened? They got hot at the right time. That’s how baseball works sometimes. You don’t have to be the best, you just have to be the best baseball team for a month.

No one expected it at the beginning of the season. The young talent was there but they were never able to put it together beforehand and no one expected this to be the year for it to happen.

The truth is, the Royals statistically weren’t even such a great team. Alex Gordon hit the most home runs for the Royals during the regular season with a whopping 19 in 563 at-bats. To put that in perspective, George Springer hit 20 home runs in just 295 at-bats. Batting average? Just three regulars above the .285 mark. Solid, but not spectacular.

As a team the Royals finished 14th in the MLB in runs, 17th in OPS. Basically, middle of the pack.

Oct 15, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Wade Davis throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles during the 8th inning in game four of the 2014 ALCS playoff baseball game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Pitching is where they thrived. Three relievers had sub 1.50 ERA’s, including a microscopic 1.00 ERA by Wade Davis. Their starters dominated as well. Danny Duffy finished with a 2.53 ERA in 31 appearances, including 25 starts. Yordano Ventura and James Shields had a 3.20 and 3.21 ERA, respectively.

As a team though, the Royals were 12th in ERA, but their starters did a good job getting 95 quality starts (8th in MLB), which gave the Royals a good chance to win as they handed the game to their dominant bullpen.

Why am I throwing these random numbers at you?

Hope.

The Houston Astros have yet to win a World Series. They made their last appearance in 2005, the same year they last made the postseason.

We suffered through years of Woody Williams and Jason Jennings. We suffered through horrible draft classes for the majority of the previous decade. We suffered through trading our only valuable pieces to rebuild for a future.

Well that future is finally here, Houston.

It may not be next year – though I think they could make it happen with the right moves – but the future is right around the corner. This offseason should be a huge stepping stone for whenever the Astros make that postseason leap. Whether they keep to their long-term plan or try to expedite it a bit, GM Jeff Luhnow has this franchise going in the right direction.

It won’t be the 29-year long wait that Royals fan had to endure, but it’s been a long time.

We’ll be there soon, Houston.