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Royals' Jason Vargas Says Pennant Win Is 'Unbelievable'

The Kansas City Royals didn’t waste any time.

They scored two runs in the first inning and held on to clinch the American League pennant with a 2-1 victory over Baltimore.

It’s the Royals' third trip to the World Series and the first since 1985.

Winning pitcher Jason Vargas refers to the World Series as the “Big Dance.”

“The only thing that could be better is to have the ball that decides the big dance,” Vargas said. “It’s unbelievable. It’s everything I imagined it would be. And more.”

Some of the players took the celebration back out to the dugout area where a pocket of fans hung around to savor the moment. Catcher Salvador Perez even went out to shake the hands of each grounds crew member in the bullpen.

Between the wild card victory, the division series against the Angels and now this — a sweep of the Orioles — it adds up to a roll of eight straight wins to start the post-season. No team in baseball history has accomplished that.

The previous record was seven by the 1976 Cincinnati Reds and 2007 Colorado Rockies.

The World Series begins Tuesday in Kansas City against either St. Louis or San Francisco.

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Sports have an economic and social impact on our community and, as a sports reporter, I go beyond the scores and statistics. I also bring the human element to the sports figures who have a hand in shaping the future of not only their respective teams but our town. Reach me at gregechlin@aol.com.
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