Royals’ recent playoff dominance highlighted by bonkers stats
The Kansas City Royals are finally back to playing October baseball, thanks in large part to the MVP-caliber season Bobby Witt Jr. has had. Not much was expected from the Royals heading into 2024, but they have defied expectations and continue to do so as they managed to sweep the Baltimore Orioles in the AL Wild Card Series — sending the team that led the AL East for a considerable portion of the season home early.
The Royals only made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, so it’s not as if they headed into the postseason as one of the favorites to win the World Series. But their recent track record in the playoffs meant that they were no mere pushovers come October. Following their 2-0 series triumph over the Orioles, the Royals are now 9-1 over their last 10 playoff rounds, per Rustin Dodd of The Athletic — an impressive run that dates back to 39 years ago.
Over their past 36 playoff games, the Royals have had a winning percentage of 75 percent (27-9), which makes them such a force to be reckoned with at the grandest stage of baseball. Meanwhile, they have not gone 27-9 over any 36-game stretch in the regular season since 1985, per Rany Jazayerli of Baseball Prospectus.
The Royals have not made it to the playoffs often since 1985; they have only done so just four times during that span. But they have not finished a postseason run over the past 40 seasons without at least making it to the World Series. They won it all in 1985 and 2015, and then in 2014, they were perhaps an aggressive Alex Gordon baserunning decision away from tying Game 7 of the World Series on the road.
As things stand, the New York Yankees still look like the favorite to win the American League pennant. But they will have to be more vigilant against the Royals and not take them lightly whatsoever. There is something in the air in Kansas City that makes their players perform at their best when the games matter the most, and there could perhaps be some Royals playoff magic at work in the coming weeks.
Can the Royals conjure up some majestic baseball in October once again?
The Royals seem to stumble upon a winning formula every time they make it to the playoffs. In 2014 and 2015, they boasted the deepest and most frightening late-game bullpen corps in history. Wade Davis, in particular, was instrumental in ushering in a more proactive use of bullpen arms in protecting late-game leads among MLB teams.
In 2024, it seems as though their pitching is once again performing up to the level that is required out of them in the playoffs. In Game 1 against the Orioles, Cole Ragans had Baltimore’s lineup on lock, and the bullpen never gave them an opening in a 1-0 shoutout win for Kansas City. And then in Game 2, with the Orioles threatening to put some runs on the board, the Royals’ pitchers were up to the task of shutting the door.
The Yankees, however, will be an entirely different animal to the Orioles. They have plenty of experienced hitters and pitchers, unlike the Orioles, with Juan Soto even winning a World Series back in 2019. Aaron Judge remains as one of the most frightening batters to face in the entire league, and New York has gotten plenty of production as of late from its less-heralded players. But knowing the Royals’ postseason pedigree as a franchise, expect this ALDS matchup to be a bloodbath.
The post Royals’ recent playoff dominance highlighted by bonkers stats appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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