Texas Rangers: Something about the KC Royals speaks to this team

There are some quirks in the game of baseball that can’t be explained. They just… are. Like the Texas Rangers‘ continued dominance of the Kansas City Royals.

It’s truly fascinating to see the Rangers’ offense, lethargic and sluggish most of the season, all of a sudden break out the lumber against the Royals, even in games they’ve lost against them in 2021.

Friday night’s nine run output continued that trend, as Texas defeated Kansas City 9-4 in the opening game of a three game weekend series at Globe Life Field. Strong pitching efforts by Dane Dunning and John King ensured the victory, while the bats came alive to score the most runs they’ve had in a game since they scored 12 in a road win over the LA Dodgers on June 12.

The Texas Rangers love playing the KC Royals for some reason

If you remember Opening Day, you remember how these teams combined to score 24 runs in the game, with Texas ultimately falling short in the contest 14-10. The Rangers lost the series, but still managed to scored four and seven runs in the next two games, respectively.

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Something about the KC Royals makes this offense click, and we can’t seem to figure it out. But it’s quite fitting that one of the Texas Rangers’ most “complete” wins of 2021 came at the expense of a team they appear to enjoy facing.

In fact, since the 1990s, the Rangers have statistically owned the Royals, posting a 61-56 record against them in the 90s, a 46-40 record against them in the 2000s, a dominant 48-25 record in the 2010s and are currently knotted up in the season series in 2021 at two games a piece.

Why is this the case? What’s behind this lopsidedness? We really don’t know. It circles back to one of those random baseball oddities that we’re better off just accepting as a positive for the Rangers, rhyme or reason be damned.

One Ranger that hasn’t fared well against the Royals thus far? Ace Kyle Gibson, who got shelled on that infamous Opening Day in Kansas City to open the 2021 season. He’ll look to reverse that trend Saturday night as Texas looks for a series win (or even a sweep) at home.