Should Royals win ALCS, new fan gear will be available right away

They’re ready to unleash a slew of new merchandise at the team store at Kauffman Stadium at the end of tonight’s game.

But you won’t need to be at the game to be among the first to buy new fan gear, should the Royals clinch their fourth World Series berth in franchise history.

Several stores will stay open late Friday and open early Saturday to sell merchandize celebrating the Royals as (fingers crossed) winners of the American League Championship Series.

Among them, Dick’s Sporting Goods, whose stores will stay open for an unspecified amount of time after the game and then reopen at 7 on Saturday morning, two hours ahead of normal. Dick’s stores normally close at 9:30 p.m. on Friday.

Dick’s stores in St. Joseph and Lawrence will open early on Saturday, too, but won’t be open late Friday, a company spokeswoman said.

The seven Kansas Sampler and Rally House stores in the metro area will sell Royals championship gear Friday night until supplies run out, then reopen at 7 Saturday morning, also two hours early, when new stock is set to arrive, the company said.

The two Sports Authority stores also plan to stay open past 11 p.m. Friday until the crowds die down, and then reopen at 7 on Saturday.

The three area Academy Sports+Outdoors stores will close as usual at 10 p.m., if the game hasn’t ended by then. But they will reopen after the game, should the Royals win, to sell ALCS championship gear. The stores will open at their normal 8 a.m. start time on Saturday.

Area HyVee stores have loaded up the front of their stores with Royals gear all postseason, but likely won’t have new ALCS gear until early Saturday, one store manager said.

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Should Royals win ALCS, new fan gear will be available right away."