ATLANTA (AP) — The Kansas City Royals completed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in major league history Friday night, clinching an American League wild card despite a 3-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
A year ago, the Royals matched a franchise record with 106 losses. Now, they are headed to the postseason for the first time since winning the 2015 World Series.
“We’re just so proud of everyone,” said shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the face of the revitalized franchise. “This is just the beginning of something special.”
The celebration was delayed by a masterful performance from Atlanta pitcher Max Fried. But the Royals finally popped the champagne corks in the visitors’ clubhouse at Truist Park when the Minnesota Twins were eliminated with a 7-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
“This isn’t how we ideally wanted it,” Witt said. “But we’re here. We did it. We’re so proud of each other. We can’t let one game control our season.”
Led by second-year manager Matt Quatraro, Kansas City is the first team in baseball history to make the playoffs after posting such a dismal mark the previous season.
In fact, since the start of the expansion era in 1961, the Royals are just the third team to advance to the postseason after losing at least 100 games the previous year.
The Twins earned a wild card in 2017 after going 59-103 a year earlier, and the 2020 Florida Marlins qualified for a wild card during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign coming off a 57-105 debacle.
The Royals quickly fell on hard times after claiming back-to-back AL pennants in 2014 and ’15 and their first World Series title in 30 years. They had not recorded a winning season since their championship run, losing at least 100 games in three of the past six, and were a total laughingstock just a year ago.
That all changed this season with a team led by Witt, who became the first shortstop in major league history with multiple seasons of at least 30 homers and 30 steals.
“You can’t help but be proud,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “It was a battle all year long. We overcame a lot of odds.”
The Royals have struggled down the stretch, enduring a pair of seven-game losing streaks.
It didn’t stop them in the end.
“We had some adversity here the last month of the season,” Picollo said. “But this is a tough, resilient group and we got through and here we are celebrating this moment.”
Witt tops the majors with 210 hits and a .332 batting average, to go along with 32 homers, 109 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.
