Pic of the Week

Alex Gordon reaches for the ball on Jason Castro's
ninth-inning single Thursday. The play not made proved
critical in the Twins' three-run rally to win the game.

One percent.

That, according to Statcast, is how often Jason Castro's blooper to short left field on Thursday turns into a hit.

You have here two players -- left fielder Alex Gordon and shortstop Alcides Escobar -- who have won Gold Gloves at their respective positions. You have a blooper that is caught, literally, 99 percent of the time in the major leagues.

And the Royals couldn't get the out. And that failure allowed the Twins to win the game.

Kansas City will always have the 2016 World Series trophy to embrace, plus the memory of how close the 2015 team was to making it two in a row. The core of that team is almost certainly going to split apart this offseason.

This was one play in one game. But that core, as beloved and accomplished as it is, is in decline.