Superfans from both sides of the Yankees-Royals matchup converge for the playoff series

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

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

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

As Kosack walked through the arrival doors at Kansas City International Airport on Tuesday, Birzer was wearing her most inviting Kansas City Royals T-shirt. She teased him about not wearing New York Yankees gear. He pointed to his backpack. They immediately began to reminisce, as much as one can reminisce when a friendship is barely more than a year old.

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

“July 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 purchased a lot of game tickets at an estate sale.

She was there to watch the Royals but wanted to give the Yankees cards to someone who would care about them. She offered it to Kosack while he was interviewing Yankees fans.

He posted their interaction on his channel and praised their kindness. The royals took up this with a “Be a Betty” campaign. At K she was treated like royalty. She asked Kosack to visit. He met Bobby Witt Jr. He came back a second time. He met her family. More than a million views later, their friendship has been cemented.

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

READ MORE: 'Just be nice': In times of disappointment, a Royals fan shows kindness

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

It started with baseball. She followed his show. She asked how he got into baseball. Her mother's affection for sports attracted her. His grandfather and father met him.

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

They are proof of that. You text regularly. It's not just about baseball anymore. In short, he said, she was family now. His mother loves that they have become friends. Birzer hasn't met his mother yet, but met his twin sister on their first trip back to New York a month ago, during the teams' last game together before the postseason.

“When I started doing my thing, I wanted to be someone who brought a positive attitude to baseball,” Kosack said. “Betty doesn’t just bring positivity to baseball. She brings positivity to the world, to Ottawa and Kansas City.”

“Awww,” she replied.

They tried to annoy each other a little, but Birzer was clearly unhappy. Both agreed that a five-game series wouldn't be so bad. Birzer is confident that the boys in blue will progress. Kosack is confident that his pinstripers will be victorious. But in the end, they still plan on being happy for each other.

“I believe good things happen to good people who give back to the universe, and if Betty had a happier outcome than I did, I would be happy for Betty because she's the kind of person who deserves a happy outcome,” said he Cossack. “I hope that one day I can give back to Betty the way she gives back to me,” Kosack said.

He's already done it, she said, by being here for Games 3 and 4. He asked if she would have come to New York for Game 5 if the two teams tied before he left KC. She would like to, she said, but she has a fall festival that she volunteers for. This is what it means to be a Betty, to be part of a community, both in baseball and elsewhere.

Kosack still has those trading cards. He never looked for a possible price tag. They are on his bedside table.

“The fact that someone gave me something so kind and thoughtful, I don't even know what value it has because it will never compare to the value it brings to me,” he said.

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