Zack Greinke trade gave Runnin' Royals two big pieces: Lorenzo Cain and ...
KANSAS CITY - When the Royals traded for James Shields in December 2012, it was a sign that Kansas City was ready to be taken seriously as a contender.
But it was a deal nearly two years earlier that really set the Royals on their current collision course with the World Series.
Zack Greinke had won the American League Cy Young Award in 2009 for a Royals team that lost 97 games. After Kansas City lost 95 games the following season, the ace asked to be traded, tired of the constant losing.
So Royals general manager granted his wish, dealing him to the Brewers in December 2010 as part of a six-player trade that saw the Royals receive Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi.
Cain and Escobar starred in Saturday's Game 2 win, while Odorizzi was a part of the package that landed the Royals both Shields and Wade Davis in their well-documented 2012 trade with the Rays.
'That was the start of putting together a championship caliber baseball team, to get two guys as athletic as they are,' manager Ned Yost said. 'That's where it started, with that Greinke trade.
Both of those guys, it's sure fun to watch them evolve over the last couple of years and really get to this point in their careers where they're fantastic players.'
'We wouldn't be here without that trade,' added DH Billy Butler.
While Escobar delivered the game-winning hit in Game 2, Cain has been shining brightly under the hot lights of the national stage all month.
Cain is hitting .370/.400/.481 with eight runs scored and four RBI in the Royals' 6-0 postseason start, also contributing at least a half-dozen highlight-reel catches, two of them in the Royals' 6-4 win Saturday at Camden Yards.
'He is dead locked in right now, in all phases of his game,' Yost said. 'He's just absolutely flying on the basepaths, he's everywhere in the outfield and his at bats are phenomenal.'
With the game tied at 4, Cain robbed J.J. Hardy of an extra-base hit to start the sixth inning, stretching out for a diving catch in center field.
'That's what I pride myself in; getting good reads,' Cain said. 'Just be a playmaker for my pitchers, because they've been doing an outstanding job all year. Just laying out, willing to do anything to make a play. That's the kind of guy I am. I'm going to continue to play that way.'
An inning later, Cain - who had moved to right field after Jarrod Dyson entered the game as a pinch-runner - stole a potential bases-clearing extra-base hit from Hardy, making a running catch on a fly ball as it sliced toward the right-field line.
'He's making Gold Glove plays every day, not to mention he's swinging a hot bat,' Butler said. 'There's not enough good things you can say about him.'
Cain has reached base eight time in 10 plate appearances in the first two games of the series, helping the Royals return home with a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Cain - who became a father earlier in the week - joined Hall of Famer George Brett as the only Royals to collect four hits in a postseason game, scoring two of the team's first three runs in Game 2.
'It's a great feeling to be alongside of one of the greats,' Cain said. 'Definitely exciting having my son born a few days ago. To be here in the playoffs and enjoying this run where we are now is a blessing. Got to keep it going, keep fighting, keep pushing and find a way to win ballgames.'
Cain's stellar October might be turning him into a national name, but the 28-year-old was a key cog in the Royals' regular-season success, hitting .301 with 28 stolen bases and a .751 OPS.
'I want to be all around player,' Cain said. 'I want to be able to swing the bat, steal bases and play solid defense. That's what I pride myself on, just being a complete player. I've still got a lot of work to do. Still working to improve each and every day. The hard work is definitely paying off right now. Definitely have to keep going.'
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