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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Iron Mike loses his rifle ... again Commissioner's race: Ankerberg touts financial expertise Commissioner's race: Moro lauds energy efficiency jobs Commissioner's race: Dyer wants to attract high-tech jobs Applegate Dam hydroelectric project dead in water Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Iron Mike loses his rifle ... again Emergency services Ashland's Iron Mike statue has its gun stolen Hoppe and Peterson at it again in Jackson County judge's race Motorcycle crash southwest of Grants Pass kills one Politics and Elections Commissioner's race: Ankerberg touts financial expertise Commissioner's race: Moro lauds energy efficiency jobs Commissioner's race: Dyer wants to attract high-tech jobs Hoppe and Peterson at it again in Jackson County judge's race Oregon gubernatorial candidates debate in Medford Education Foundation kicks off ambitious 'Count Me In' fundraising campaign 100 hours and counting SOU students protest university's free-speech zone Boys & Girls Clubs bursting at the seams Phoenix High School restores homecoming parade Environment Applegate Dam hydroelectric project dead in water Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt Josephine County ballot measure would ban commercial and government pesticide use Low water exposes Emigrant Lake's past Wagner Creek work would restore streambank State news Nation - World Obituaries Alvin Simmons Death Notices James Waldo Littlefield Francis Bagley Cecile (DeLozier) Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Frosh Schaan ignites Cascade Christian Springfield trips Ashland in battle of powers Junior Steelheads down Spartans Panthers rumble past Axemen Ashland defeats Marist in OT in boys soccer Varsity 541 College Sports Raiders record sixth straight win Will Petersen have same magic against Ducks? 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Oregon gubernatorial candidates debate in Medford ... Elk season starts damp but not snowy ... Ashland's Iron Mike statue has its gun stolen ... Oregon gubernatorial candidates debate in Medford ... Elk season starts damp but not snowy ... MAJOR LEAGUES Butler, Gordon relish Royals' postseason success By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Oct. 8, 2014 @ 5:46 pm By The Associated Press Posted Oct. 8, 2014 @ 5:46 pm » Social News KANSAS CITY, Mo. — They endured it together, Billy Butler and Alex Gordon. All those years with 90 losses, the managerial changes and youth movements and empty seats come late September. Empty seats in July and August, too. They were supposed to be the two players who led the Kansas City Royals back to the playoffs. Butler was the standout high school prospect who couldn’t run well and struggled with his glove, but my, how he could hit. And Gordon was the best player in college baseball when the Royals plucked him out of Nebraska, a sure-fire All-Star one day. Well, that day has finally arrived. After seven years of building and rebuilding, Butler and Gordon are reveling in the Royals’ first postseason appearance since 1985. “For the fans, 30 years without feels like a lifetime. It’s an eternity to me,” Butler said. “Kansas City deserves everything they’re getting and we want to give it to them.” The Royals open the best-of-seven AL Championship Series on Friday night in Baltimore having already given thousands of fans plenty of postseason thrills. There was the 12-inning walk-off win over Oakland in the wild-card game at Kauffman Stadium. There was the pair of 11-inning wins against the Angels in Los Angeles. And there was the clinching game back in Kansas City, an 8-3 romp that kicked off a citywide party. Butler and Gordon have been gleefully in the midst of it all. “This is personal for us,” Butler said. “It started all the way back when we got drafted. That’s what they envisioned when they drafted us. Going through some bad times, I’ve been with this team for 10 years, building toward this.” It’s been a challenging road filled with pitfalls and potholes, and more than once it looked as though neither Butler nor Gordon would see the fruits of their labor. Butler established himself as a solid hitter early in his career, but his limited ability on the base paths and in the field hampered his value. Butler finally made an All-Star game in 2012, when it was played in Kansas City, but the past couple of seasons have been a struggle. He was hitting just .235 in late-May, a disaster by his lofty standards. And late in the season, Butler found himself sitting on the bench for critical games in a pennant chase. Of course, he would rise to the occasion when the postseason rolled around. Butler had a pair of hits in the victory over the A’s. And while he went 0 for 9 against the Angels, he managed three walks and even stole a base, his first in two years. “We’ve believed in Billy all along,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. The same could be said of Gordon, the second overall pick in the 2005 draft — one year after Butler went in the first round. He was rushed to the majors two years later as the heir to George Brett at third base and soon fizzled out, spending the next couple years vacillating between the majors and minors while trying out a variety of positions. He finally stuck when he landed in left field, and in 2011 hit .303 and earned the first of three consecutive gold gloves. He made his first All-Star game last year, and his second this season, when he hit .266 with 19 homers and again played a masterful left field. Gordon atoned for a 0-for-5 performance against Oakland by beating up the Angels, going 3 for 10 with a pair of doubles and scoring twice. It was his bases-loaded double in the first inning of Game 3 on Sunday night that spurred the Royals to the series clincher. “Gordo, hands-down leader of this ballclub,” third baseman Mike Moustakas said. “For him to go out there in a huge situation like that, after we’re down one, drive in three runs, it just gave us so much confidence going into the rest of that game.” Gordon has slowly evolved into the face of the franchise, yet he’s a reluctant star who speaks quietly but carries a big stick. He rarely gets too excitable, nor does he ever get too down. And when he is asked about his personal performance this postseason, he quickly defers the credit to general manager Dayton Moore for sticking with him all these years. “Dayton has done a great job molding this team to where it is now,” Gordon said. “He really got the right pieces in through the draft and through the trade with James Shields and Wade Davis. Things are really starting to come together. Give a lot of credit to Dayton.” Give a lot of credit to Butler and Gordon, too. “We’re about now,” Gordon said. “It’s been a struggle, but we’re here now. It doesn’t matter who does it as long as someone does it and we get the win.” By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Oct. 8, 2014 @ 5:46 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Skill Players Poised for Monster Games Oct. 17, 2014 at 8:36 pm Patterson Becoming a Fantasy Nightmare Oct. 17, 2014 at 6:49 pm Reggie Bush's Fantasy Value Breathes New Life Oct. 17, 2014 at 6:45 pm Latest Fantasy Outlook for Ingram Oct. 17, 2014 at 5:13 pm Brandon Bolden's Updated Fantasy Outlook Heading into Week 8 Oct. 17, 2014 at 5:06 pm Zac Stacy's Updated Fantasy Outlook Heading into Week 7 Oct. 17, 2014 at 4:04 pm calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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