Amid dramatic turnaround, KC Royals are seeing fan interest (& numbers) pick up

The Kansas City Royals are surging at the right moment.

This season, the Royals have drawn headlines for their improved starting rotation. The unit has flourished behind key veterans Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha.

The duo has fit in seamlessly alongside returnees Cole Ragans, Brady Singer and Alec Marsh. Together, they have aided the Royals’ offense as the team climbs the American League Central standings.

“We are playing some good baseball right now and I think we can even get better,” Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. said.

In the process, the Royals have captured increased fan interest. Royals fans have shown up at Kauffman Stadium and traveled well for road games.

Fan attendance is up 9% year-over-year, per the Royals.

During their last homestand, the Royals welcomed 25,585 fans against the Oakland Athletics on May 17. It was also the same night the Royals honored their 2014 team, to which the current squad has drawn comparisons.

A few days later, the Royals saw their most watched game of the season.

On May 21, the Royals’ home game against the Detroit Tigers averaged 44,000 households watching and a 4.3 rating, per team findings. This was also the night Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. hit the longest home run of his career.

“It’s on us to keep playing well,” Royals second baseman Michael Massey said. “People like to come watch winning baseball.”

Meanwhile, the club says it is noticing more engagement.

The Royals shared that numbers are up across the board. Team store sales are up 18% this year and there has been an increase in unique streamers (who watch the Royals on streaming services) during each game.

The team even has a new slogan that started with Witt: “The Boys Are Playin’ Some Ball” (occasionally shortened to #TBAPSB on X/Twitter).

“It’s something that I said a little bit and it stuck,” Witt said.

The Royals now feature it on X, Instagram and Facebook among others.

Former Royals star Eric Hosmer has joined in, and the club even created T-shirts with the catchphrase for pregame warmups.

Now, fans can purchase a variation of the shirt in Kansas City.

Charlie Hustle, a local clothing company, created different options for short- and long-sleeve shirts. The clothing options are currently available on their website.

“It’s motivation just to keep (fans) coming out more and more,” Witt said. “That’s definitely what we want and we have to keep doing what we are doing. That’s definitely a goal.”