This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A big-and-burly thumper still has a place on these flash-and-dash Kansas City Royals, it seems. Especially if he can deliver clutch hits in the World Series, the way Billy Butler did Wednesday night.
Butler stroked a hard, RBI single in the first inning that his team desperately needed, then lined a loud, tiebreaking single in the sixth to send the Royals past the San Francisco Giants 7-2 to even the Series at one game apiece.
They were by far the biggest hits in Butler's career, and came after a most trying season.
As the Royals relied more and more on their fleet of speedsters down the stretch, the designated hitter with the nickname "Country Breakfast" — he's conservatively listed around 240 pounds — seemed to fall out of favor with manager Ned Yost.
Many local fans wondered whether Butler fit in with how the streaking Royals played the game. Kansas City led the majors in stolen bases, and Butler even lost some at-bats to Josh Willingham and others in the final weeks.
Butler finished the season at .271 with just nine home runs and 66 RBIs, a far cry from his All-Star slugging in 2012. A huge disappointment, too, for someone who was drafted in the first round by the Royals in 2004 and always hoped to play meaningful games for them.
Yet Yost stuck with the DH going into the postseason, hoping he would regain his stroke. Butler did pull a surprise during his first trip to the playoffs, stealing a base for the first time since 2012.
Butler got one of the Royals' four hits in a 7-1 loss to the Giants in the Series opener, putting his postseason batting average at .233.