RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Kansas City waited 30 years for their Royals to win another World Series. And late last night, after 12 innings of baseball, they finally did, beating the New York Mets to clinch the series four games to one. Sam Zeff from member station KCUR spent the evening with fans outside on a chilly fall night.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JOE BUCK: Hits it high in the air in the right-center.
SAM ZEFF, BYLINE: About 1,500 Royals faithful gathered at a park by the Missouri River near downtown Kansas City. They watched on a giant screen. And you could hear Fox's play-by-play man, Joe Buck, for blocks. Most watched the whole game there. Many bundled in blankets. But Arooj Nazire joined the party after the game went into extra innings.
AROOJ NAZIRE: Oh, Lord. So we were in Dallas for the weekend celebrating my birthday. And we saw the ninth inning on the plane.
ZEFF: She and her husband rushed to Riverfront Park directly from the airport just in time to join in the celebration after the Royals took the lead for the first time in the game in the 12th inning.
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BUCK: His first in the post season.
(CHEERING)
ZEFF: Christian Colon, who hadn't appeared in the post season, put the Royals up 3-2 with a pinch single. Many in the crowd, including Ahmad Nazire, were asking each other, who was Christian Colon?
AHMAD NAZIRE: I didn't even know he was in the World Series roster. But now I'm pretty sure he's going to be a hero in Kansas City.
(CHEERING)
ZEFF: The Royals scored four more times in the 12th. Closer Wade Davis struck out the side in the Mets' half of the inning. And much of Kansas City celebrated with fireworks, horn honking and cheering.
(CHEERING)
ZEFF: For NPR News, I'm Sam Zeff in Kansas City. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
