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Did Royals postseason run lead to baby boom in Kansas City?
The Royals were the toast of Kansas City last fall, creating a buzz that had not existed since their previous World Series run in 1985.
With each victory, the momentum and anticipation built as the Royals aimed for their first World Series championship in 29 years. Ultimately, they fell short, losing to the San Francisco Giants in Game 7. But the excitement and energy they generated throughout the city and surrounding areas during that time was palpable, and perhaps in some instances even motivational.
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What do we mean by that exactly?
Well, we'll just say that one notable hospital in the area noticed a considerable spike in the local population throughout the month of July, which happened to come nine months after Kansas City's October run.
Here's more from the Kansas City Star:
It’s too soon to tell whether the excitement surrounding the Royals’ historic postseason run resulted in a local baby boom. Kansas and Missouri birth numbers for July 2015 — the month most 2014 World Series babies were born — won’t be final until next year. North Kansas City Hospital and St. Luke’s hospitals haven’t seen an increase in births.
But in July, Shawnee Mission Birth Center, which delivered more babies last year than any other hospital in the metro area, logged 473 births, breaking the old record of 456 births in a single month.
“We were wondering if we were seeing a little bit of a boom from all the Royals babies,” says Eva Shay, a labor and delivery manager at the hospital.
It would make sense, wouldn't it? The Royals certainly gave fans plenty to celebrate, and based on some of the names of these newborns they were definitely the inspiration.
For example, Spencer and Tara Lowe of Kansas City decided to name their now five-week-old daughter Holland after Royals All-Star closer Greg Holland.
Another couple, Lindsey and Alan Diehl of Olathe, went with Finnegan for their newborn, after recently traded reliever Brandon Finnegan.
“Little did we know (Brandon) Finnegan would be gone shortly after our Finnegan was born,” Lindsey told the Star.
Unfortunately, that's the name of game and the nature of the business. Sometimes players win your heart in an instant, and one instant later they're traded for Johnny Cueto.
One name that will definitely stand the test of time though came from the creative minds of Heidi and Eric Pemberton of Louisburg, Kan. They decided to name their daughter Everly Royal, which they say is a nod to the team’s “Forever Royal” slogan.
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Those are just a few of the Royals baby stories covered by the Kansas City Star. It's a fun read, and it certainly supports the theory that baseball fever led to baby fever in KC.
In other news, attendance figures are expected to rise at Kauffman Stadium in the years ahead. Also developing, hospitals in and around Kansas City are already preparing for another busy July in 2016 with the Royals currently owning the best record in the American League.
Stay tuned.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
