Superfans from each side of Yankees-Royals matchup reunite for playoff series

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - You could say Betty Birzer and Jake Kosack manifested the moment when their two teams would be taking on each other in the playoffs. They’ve been talking about it since they met 14 months ago.

“That’s what we wanted for both our teams,” Birzer said. “Because the teams weren’t doing so well.”

“It’s surreal that it’s here. It’s surreal that it happened,” Kosack replied.

When Kosack stepped through the arrival doors at Kansas City International Airport Tuesday Birzer was wearing her most welcoming Kansas City Royals t-shirt. She teased him about not wearing New York Yankees gear. He pointed to his backpack. They promptly got to reminiscing, as much as one can reminisce when a friendship is little more than a year old.

“When we first met, when was that?” Birzer asked.

“July of 2023,” Kosack replied.

Their meeting was a viral sensation. Kosack runs a popular social media channel — The Bronx Zoo — on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. He was doing his usual thing outside Yankee Stadium when Birzer approached. The Ottawa, Kansas, Royals superfan had bought a lot of playing cards at an estate sale.

She was there to see the Royals but wanted to give the Yankees cards to someone for whom they would mean something. She offered them to Kosack while he was interviewing Yankees fans.

He posted their interaction on his channel with praise for her kindness. The Royals seized on it with a Be a Betty campaign. She got the Royal treatment at the K. She asked Kosack to visit. He got to meet Bobby Witt, Jr. He came back a second time. He met her family. More than a million views later, their friendship was cemented.

“I feel like he’s my adopted son,” Birzer said.

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“I look at it the same way,” Kosack replied. “She’s someone that I can trust, and I keep my circle small.”

It began with baseball. She followed his show. She asked how he got involved with baseball. Her mom’s affection for the sport drew her in. His grandpa and dad were his introduction.

“We talked about how baseball brings families together,” Birzer explained. “It think it really brings people together. I think it’s great. That’s why I love it.”

They are a testament to that. They text routinely. No longer is it just about baseball. In short, he said, she’s family now. His mom loves that they’ve become friends. Birzer has yet to meet his mom but met his twin sister on her first return trip to New York a month ago, during the teams’ final game together before the postseason.

“When I started my thing, I wanted to be someone who brought positivity baseball,” Kosack said. “Betty’s not just bringing positivity to baseball. She’s bringing positivity to the world and to Ottawa and to Kansas City.”

“Awww,” she responded.

They tried to razz each other a bit but Birzer was decidedly G-rated. Both agreed that a five-game series wouldn’t be so bad. Birzer is confident the boys in blue will rally through. Kosack is certain his pinstriped players will reign victorious. But in the end, they still plan to be happy for each other.

“I think good things happen to good people who give back to the universe, and if Betty had a happier outcome than me, I’m going to be happy for Betty because she is the kind of person who deserves a happy outcome,” said Kosack. “I hope that one day I can give back to Betty the way she gives back to me,” Kosack said.

He already has, she said, by being here for Games 3 and 4. He asked if she’d come to New York for Game 5, should the two teams tie it up before he leaves KC. She’d love to, she said, but she has a fall festival she committed to as a volunteer. That’s what being a Betty means, being part of a community, both in baseball and everywhere else.

Kosack still has those trading cards. He never looked up a possible price tag. They’re on his nightstand.

“The fact that someone gave me something so kind and thoughtful, I don’t even know the value of it, because it’s never going to compare to the value it brings me,” he said.

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