Nine hundred and four days had passed since Game 7, since Madison Bumgarner had gone legend with a five-inning relief performance on two days of rest, since Alex Gordon had been stranded on third base, since Pablo Sandoval had cradled a Salvador Perez foul pop and fallen onto his back for the final out of the World Series.
Nine hundred and four days, and so much had happened since then. The Royals won a World Series in 2015. Alex Gordon re-signed in Kansas City. A franchise grieved the loss of a young pitcher.
And yet, some things had not changed.