How Royals Made MLB History With Wild Card Series Defeat Of Orioles
The Kansas City Royals have done the improbable.
In 2023, the Royals were a dismal ballclub, losing 106 games and finishing dead last in the American League Central--behind even the Chicago White Sox. This season, they're booking their tickets for the ALDS.
With a two-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, the Royals advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 2015. They eked out a pair of one-run games, 1-0 on Tuesday, then 2-1 on Wednesday, with superstar Bobby Witt Jr. delivering the go-ahead single in both contests.
Not only are the Royals moving on, but they're also stamping their name in the history books on the way there.
According to Rustin Dodd of The Athletic, the Royals were only the second team ever to win a postseason series the year after losing 100 games. But the other team that did it was the 2020 Miami Marlins, who made it to the expanded COVID playoffs with a 31-29 record.
So for simplicity's sake, let's just say the Royals are the first team to lose 100 games, then win a playoff series in a "normal" season the following year.
The way the Royals won the series was the real story. It was so emblematic of who they were as a team all season, and it showed that they do have a legitimate formula to win in the playoffs.
There wasn't much offense, but what offense there was came from Witt, who became the second player in MLB history to record game-winning RBIs in each of his first two playoff games. Then, the starting pitching and closer Lucas Erceg did the rest of the heavy lifting.
If Kansas City keeps this up, they are a real threat to the top remaining power in the AL, the New York Yankees. They'll caravan into the Bronx with their heads high this weekend, and no one should be shocked if they can pull off the upset.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org