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CHICAGO -- Sam Long reconnected with Lucas Erceg on the A¡¯s team bus last year when Erceg was acquired from the Brewers in May 2023. The two had grown up playing against each other in travel ball tournaments in Northern California, and Long remembers following Erceg¡¯s career from Cal Berkeley to Menlo College to second-round Draft pick by Milwaukee in '16.

A little over a year after the first bus reconnection, it happened again. This time, Long talked to Erceg on the Royals¡¯ team bus headed to Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday.

Now both are relievers the Royals are counting on for big outs in a tight playoff race.

The Royals acquired Erceg from the A¡¯s for three prospects at Tuesday¡¯s Trade Deadline, adding a high-powered reliever who isn¡¯t a free agent until 2030 to the back end of their bullpen.

¡°Big stuff,¡± Long said of Erceg. ¡°... I think he¡¯s going to be capable of being in any spot [manager Matt Quatraro] asks him to be in. He¡¯s prepared for that and open to the same idea a lot of guys in the bullpen: Get in where you fit in. Whatever the situation calls for, go out there and give the team a good chance to win.¡±

Long and Erceg grew up in similar travel ball circles outside the Bay Area, with Long from Fair Oaks, Calif., and Erceg two hours south in Campbell. Erceg rotated through several teams whenever they needed a player.

¡°He was always just big and strong compared to the other kids,¡± Long said. ¡°Every time I saw him filling in, it was like, ¡®Oh, of course they won the tournament.¡¯ That¡¯s who he¡¯s been his whole life.¡±

But like Long¡¯s journey to the Major Leagues, Erceg hasn¡¯t had a quick rise or the easiest journey to the big leagues. A former two-way player who was drafted for his bat, Erceg only began pitching full-time in 2021. For as little experience as he has on the mound, the Royals believe he¡¯s nowhere near his potential as a reliever now.

The 29-year-old also has been open about his struggles with alcohol and depression, which was especially acute in 2020 after the Minor League season was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic. On his glove stitched in gold letters is the date 6/10/20, the first date of Erceg¡¯s sobriety.

¡°I always like to talk about having a little bit of perspective,¡± Erceg said. ¡°Not fully knowing what tomorrow¡¯s going to bring, but I know if I bring a positive mindset to the field every day or dinner every day, whatever it is, if you have a positive mindset, good things are going to happen. You¡¯re going to enjoy it.¡±

Erceg broke onto the scene this year with a 3.68 ERA across 36 2/3 innings this season with the A¡¯s. He averages 98.5 mph on his fastball and generates a ton of whiffs with his slider and changeup, too. He¡¯s brought his worrisome walk rate down to 8.2% this year, while his strikeout rate is 27%.

¡°Just staying away from trying to do too much and trying to strike everybody out,¡± Erceg said. ¡°You just want to go out there and be in the zone and let the pitches take care of themselves.¡±

The Royals believe Erceg will be a high-leverage option for them, with a chance to earn some save opportunities as he progresses. He certainly left a good first impression Wednesday when he pitched a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts, pumping 99 mph past Nicky Lopez and then dotting 100 mph on the black to get Miguel Vargas looking.

¡°Nasty,¡± catcher Salvador Perez said, shaking his head. ¡°Wow.¡±

It was a whirlwind 24 hours for Erceg, who not only was traded across the country but also closed on a house with his wife on Tuesday.

Luckily, the house is in Arizona, only a short drive from the Royals¡¯ Spring Training home in Surprise, Ariz.

¡°It means a lot,¡± Erceg said of the trade. ¡°It¡¯s kind of a testament to all the hard work that we do and never giving up and always having that perspective of just trying to get better every day. I don¡¯t know what my role is, but it doesn¡¯t really matter to me. I want to go out there, throw up zeros and compete with the boys.¡±