Eric Hosmer and the Kansas City Royals are headed to Cincinnati to play the Reds. The road trip offers a rare opportunity for Hosmer to return to his old stomping grounds where he dominated his peers at the high school level.
For two summers, Hosmer played for Midland High School, earning a reputation as a man amongst boys.
“He’s freaking King Kong around here,” Hiler said (h/t Kansas City Star). “Every Midland kid wears Hosmer T-shirts and jerseys. Before, there was no Royals stuff. Now if you come to the east side of Cincinnati, you’ll see so much Eric Hosmer Royals stuff, you wouldn’t believe it.”
Given his legendary status in Cincinnati, it’s not surprising Hosmer expects to see many supporters in the stands at Great American Ball Park for the two-game series.
Hosmer comes into the road series against the Reds on a red hot streak of his own. According to the Kansas City Star, the first baseman is riding a 10-game RBI streak, which is the longest the league has seen all season. He also has hit .409, with six homers, 10 doubles and a 1.114 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in the 35 games since Alex Gordon hit the DL on July 8.
The Royals are nearly as hot, entering the series on an 8-2 run the past 10 games and sitting comfortably atop the AL Central with a 12.5-game lead over the Minnesota Twins.
Hopefully for Hosmer, the Royals and his adoring fans, everybody stays hot the next couple of games.