Royals’ Rally Mantis Won’t Die After All, and It’s All in the Official Notes

Old ball writers would tell you, "Nothing's real until a team publishes it in the official game notes." OK, that's not something that sportswriters really say. Nor is it true, though credence always is lent to an idea that makes its way into print, and when a Major League Baseball team comes out and says it in its own game notes, well, it has to be taken at least somewhat earnestly.

That's the point we've reached with the Kansas City Royals and their "Rally Mantis." In case you're bugged about not being up to speed on R.M., take a closer ins(p)ection here. Here's the gist: Earlier this month, Royals players found a big ol' mantis in a dugout trash can at Kauffman Stadium. They adopted the bug and even though it died—possibly because players were novices at caring for it—a second mantis was soon found at Comerica Park in Detroit, and has been cared for ever since. And through it all, ever since the first Rally Mantis, the Royals have been winning games—eight in a row right now, and 13 of 15 overall.

Want legal proof? Look no further than the team's own official game notes:

Right there in black and white! These are not unserious people who run the Royals media relations department, given to silly whims about insects. Check out these details again:

• Royals 13-2 since August 6th, when first Mantis was found

• Have scored 5.33 runs per game since Mantis

• Posted a 2.03 ERA in 142 innings during that stretch

All great stats, and all posted by the team above the summary for left-hander Danny Duffy, who improved to 11-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.66 after Kansas City beat the Twins. You can find information on Duffy's performance and the Royals players later in notes. After the Rally Mantis gets its due. The Royals are probably going to use this against Duffy in salary arbitration next winter.

GM Dayton Moore: "Yes, Daniel had a solid year but we didn't start to make our World Series run until the mantids began showing up."

Arbiter: "I find for the Royals."

So there it is. The Royals don't have Johnny Cueto anymore, and Mike Moustakas is hurt, and manager Ned Yost could unlearn what he has learned, hit reset at any moment, and try 27 bunts in the next game. Another world championship still seems like a long shot. But they have the (second) Rally Mantis, and it's important enough to put in the team's own official record, which means that's why they're winning again.

All hail Mantis.