When Royals Hall of Fame broadcaster Denny Matthews thinks about what made former team manager Ned Yost, team hall of fame inductee, so successful in postseason play, he says it boils down to “consistency.” .
“It was no different after the season than it was in the regular season,” Matthews says. “And that really takes the pressure off the guys. So they went into the postseason feeling pretty much like they did in the regular year. Some guys get overwhelmed in the postseason even though they’re pros. Consistency. Ned was the same guy through spring training and after the season.
Yost, who led the team to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2014 and 2015 and to a world championship in 2015, has a postseason hitting percentage of . 710 (22-9) with the Royals. And that percentage is the best in major league history.
Indeed, Yost’s approach to leadership, which he learned through a few bumps in the road, especially when he managed the Milwaukee Brewers for six years (2003-2008), is one that leaders in many fields could learn from. She was far from mercurial, though no doubt some umpires felt differently when she protested some of their calls. But as a manager of well-paid baseball players who rarely lack self-confidence, it took someone with Yost’s even-tempered temperament to turn a talented group into a team that beats the world.
Matthews, who has observed every single manager the Royals have ever had, says Yost knew this about his players: “If he didn’t get in the way, they would have done just fine. It was the same attitude I saw in Whitey Herzog and Dick Howser, both of whom had successful careers as managers of the Royals.
So maybe when Yost becomes the 27th Royals Hall of Fame inductee before the club’s Sept. 2 game at Kauffman Stadium, the display on him will feature some of his leadership advice. And perhaps we should all invite leaders in other fields, including politics, to stop and learn something.
