NEW YORK — They share the exact shade of blue, expansion-era roots and excellent runs to this World Series.
For teams that had rarely met until this week, the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets overlap more than some might imagine. Consider this: Over 100 guys have played for both teams, including the likes of stars David Cone, Bret Saberhagen and Carlos Beltran.
They're the Royal Mets.
Clint Hurdle was among them, long before he became the popular and successful manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A month beyond his teenage years, he made his big league debut with the Royals.