Royals Make History At Perfect Time, Mirroring Success Of 2015 World Series Champs
Though they still aren't scoring runs in bunches, the Kansas City Royals' latest losing streak finally appears to be a thing of the past.
Entering the season's final week, the Royals were reeling. They'd lost seven games in a row, and were shut out for 26 of their 27 innings against the non-contending San Francisco Giants over the weekend at home. Something needed to change, and thankfully, it has.
Now, it's the Royals who are blanking the opposition. After a 1-0 extra-innings win over the Washington Nationals, they doubled down with a 3-0 shutout on Wednesday. They helped eliminate the Boston Red Sox from playoff contention, and now, the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners are in their crosshairs.
Not only did the Royals drop their magic number to clinch a playoff berth to three by blanking Washington, but they also set a new franchise record, and they couldn't have picked a better time to do it.
According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, the Royals' active 26-inning scoreless streak is now the longest in franchise history, breaking the previous record of 24 set originally in 1978, then again by the eventual World Series champion Royals in 2015.
It's not only the scoreless streak existing that matters, but the pitchers who have contributed to it. Cole Ragans was in the center of it all with seven scoreless innings on Tuesday. Michael Lorenzen, a trade deadline acquisition returning from injury, set the tone on Wednesday. And the much-maligned bullpen has been locking it down.
Like it or not, this is the Royals' best path to success in October. They have a transcendent superstar, but the lineup as a whole isn't built to sustain long rallies. If they can scratch a few runs across, though, this pitching staff can blank even the best lineups across baseball.
If the Royals can keep the Nationals at bay one more time on Thursday, they'll be so close to clinching that playoff berth, they'll practically be tasting it. And hey, keeping that scoreless steak alive a while longer certainly couldn't hurt.
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JACKSON ROBERTS
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