Morales enjoys warm welcome back in KC

KANSAS CITY -- Kendrys Morales is back at Kauffman Stadium, a venue in which he helped create some special memories in 2015 and '16.
As the primary designated hitter for the Royals in those seasons, Morales flourished, with the highlight being a World Series ring in 2015. It's no surprise that Morales, now a Blue Jays fixture, drew a round of cheers when he walked back inside the Kansas City clubhouse prior to the weekend series.
"It's always nice to be loved," Morales said through a translator. "I thank the [Kansas City] fans for all the support they gave me through the years I was here. I still have a lot of friends here."
Morales drew a nice ovation when he stepped up for his first plate appearance on Friday. His second time up, he was hit by a pitch, then he lumbered all the way home from first on Troy Tulowitzki's double to the wall in right-center.

When Morales greeted his former teammates on Friday, it brought back visions of October baseball.
"The most important thing for me was winning the World Series here," Morales said. "Even two or three weeks after we won it, I couldn't believe it. You want to win it, but you don't imagine how big and how tremendous it is."
Morales would like nothing better than to emulate that team success in Toronto and get another championship ring as a member of the Blue Jays.
"We've had a lot of injuries since the beginning of the year, but we're doing better now," Morales said. " We're close to .500, and a lot of guys are coming back. It's a work in progress, but I think we are going to be just fine."