KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A weekend series in May against an interleague opponent typically doesn't register as a marquee series, a test an entire state is glued to.
This weekend's Cardinals-Royals series, though, has already drawn comparisons to the 1985 World Series and whispers have surfaced five months early about a Fall Classic preview. It's the first-place Royals and the first-place Cardinals, blue against red, West versus East, I-70 connecting the two teams.
"They're playing great baseball over there," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We're playing great baseball over here. I think that, probably, since 1985, that's the best that the two teams have played simultaneously in the same year. We look for it to be a great series."
This weekend's series will be the first time since June 2003 the two clubs have met as fellow first-place clubs. Kansas City's 26-14 start is the franchise's best ever through 40 games, while St. Louis' 27-13 mark entering Thursday was the Cardinals' best start in 74 years.
The Cardinals lead the all-time series, 46-34, but the Royals won three of four games last season.
Royals left fielder Alex Gordon is Kansas City's longest-tenured Royal, a native of Nebraska and a veteran of the I-70 Series, having played in 32 games against St. Louis.
"It's just a little bit more motivation," Gordon said. "The crowd has a lot to do with that, just a sea of red, a sea of blue together. It's definitely a lot of fun. Over the years, since I've played in it, it's always been pretty special."
In 2014, the Royals made the postseason for the first time since defeating the Cardinals in a seven-game World Series in 1985. St. Louis' playoff appearance in 2014 was the franchise's 13th trip to the postseason since 1985, October becoming the standard for the Cards.
But now the Royals have joined St. Louis at the top, turning Missouri into a must-see baseball state.
"That organization has been doing it for a while," Gordon said. "It's no surprise that they're at the top of the league as far as wins and losses. I'm happy that we're up there with them, too. It's going to be a fun series and, hopefully, we come out on top."
In the past, Cardinals red invaded Kauffman Stadium, standing out amid the normal blue that covers the crowd. But the Royals' attendance has been up more than 10,000 per game, meaning a sea of blue could drown out the St. Louis red.
"Hopefully, there's a lot of blue like we've been doing," Gordon said.
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
