KANSAS CITY, Mo. >> Salvador Perez remembers what it was like when playoff baseball returned to Kansas City after nearly 30 years of dark, dismal failures. It seemed to come alive, fans changing their red Chiefs shirts for Royals blue as they packed Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals advanced all the way to the World Series in 2014, losing a Game 7 thriller to the Giants. But they returned the next year and finished the job, winning both World Series games against the Mets at home before clinching the title in New York.

Now, the Royals are ready to play the Yankees tonight in Game 3 of their AL Division Series, the first playoff game at the K since that title run. And Perez, the 34-year-old All-Star catcher whose homer Monday night helped the Royals even the series at a game apiece, will be back to revel in the postseason atmosphere.

“It’s going to be amazing,” he said. “I think we have the best fans in MLB. I think it’s going to be good for everybody.”

The Royals haven’t played a home game in more than two weeks. They finished the regular season with a sweep of the Nationals and a series in Atlanta, where they clinched a playoff spot. Then they headed to Baltimore and swept the Wild Card Series before landing in New York, where they managed to split two games with the AL East champions.

The Royals have been good at home this season, an 0-6 homestand in late September notwithstanding. But the Yankees should feel good about their chances after taking three of four at Kauffman Stadium during a series in mid-June.

“It should be awesome,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Kauffman Stadium is one of those great, historic places that has stood the test of time. It’s a beautiful ballpark rich in history. So I would imagine they are going to be excited to see their Royals at home, coming on the heels of what’s been an outstanding regular season after some lean years for them.”

Clarke Schmidt, who returned from a lat strain last month, will make his first career playoff start for New York after going 5-5 with a 2.85 ERA in 16 starts this season. The Royals will counter with Seth Lugo, who allowed four runs over 14 innings across two starts against the Yankees during the regular season.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit 58 homers, drove in 144 runs and had a .322 average during the regular season. But the MVP front-runner’s postseason struggles have continued against Kansas City. He has just a single infield hit, has yet to drive in a run and struck out four times through the first the first two games of the series.