KANSAS CITY, Mo. — How do I begin this story? How can I convince you that the greatest story for Royals fans in 29 years is unfolding before our eyes, and its protagonist lives a hemisphere away, speaks imperfect (but diligent) English and had never set foot in Kauffman Stadium until last Thursday?

I first became aware of Lee Sung-woo eight or nine years ago. I didn’t know his name; I just knew there was someone with the handle KoreanFan who posted on a site named Royals Corner. He wrote as if English was his second language, and he was eternally optimistic at a time when 70-victory seasons were something the Royals could only aspire to. I thought it was impressive that someone from South Korea followed the Royals, but didn’t think too much more of it.

Years later, KoreanFan joined Twitter as @Koreanfan_KC. And slowly, through osmosis, I picked up his general story: Lee had become a Royals fan in the 1990s after he saw a highlight on satellite television of the former first baseman Jeff King hitting a home run and was impressed by the beauty of Kauffman Stadium. He stuck loyally with the Royals even though he had no connection to the club or the city whatsoever — he had never set foot in America — and even though the team had just one winning season in his first 17 years as a fan.

He stuck with the team even though in the early years he almost never saw them play — before Major League Baseball’s Extra Innings television package, before MLB.tv or games broadcast over the Internet, his only connection to the team was through highlights on sportscasts, a snippet here, a 10-second clip there.