KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
—
Severe weather pushed up the first pitch Monday for the Kansas City Royals' series opener against the Boston Red Sox, but fans didn't let the forecast keep them away from Kauffman Stadium.
The first batch of heat and humidity of the season arrived alongside storm threats, yet fans lined up outside the stadium, eager to get in.
Don Copes, a Royals fan who has seen worse at The K, said a 2022 Yankees game set the bar for bad weather at the ballpark.
"Back in 2022, we got caught out here with the Yankees. And the wind was blowing, and the rain was coming in sideways, marble-sized hail," Copes said. "After that, anything is downhill."
For VJ Springer, Monday's game was less about her and more about the men in her family. Her husband, Larry, was attending his first-ever Royals game alongside his son. They are visiting Kansas City from Virginia.
"It's just fun, brings back a lot of memories. Get a chance to show my son something that I grew up with," Larry Springer said.
Their son, Derek Springer, said bringing his dad to the game was something he had long wanted to do.
"A bucket list item. What's more American than baseball with your dad?" Derek Springer said with a few tears in his eyes.
VJ Springer said she came prepared for the weather — and the spending that comes with a last-minute family road trip.
"We got the memo, and I'm sending y'all the credit card bill," VJ Springer said jokingly to KSHB 41's Ryan Gamboa.
As for the storms, she had one simple request.
"No tornadoes, that's all I ask," she said. "No tornadoes. Just get us in here and out of here safely."
Copes seemed to take the storms in stride
"That's Kansas and Missouri, right?" Copes said.
The Kansas City Royals are home after coming off an I-70 series loss to St. Louis.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
—
