CHICAGO
Six-hundred and ninety days before Saturday night, James Shields started Game 1 of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium.
The night marked a watershed moment in the history of baseball in Kansas City, the culmination of the long, slow burn of a rebuild and the berth of a new golden age. Shield allowed five earned runs in three innings. The Royals lost to the San Francisco Giants in seven games. Shields departed after the season via free agency.
And in his place, came a right-hander from the Dominican Republic named Edinson Volquez, who would start Game 1 of the World Series in 2015 and help the Royals finish the job agains the New York Mets in five games.