By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
It wasn't quite the way the Royals wanted to get in, but Kansas City is going to be playing October baseball, clenching their first playoff berth since 2015, thanks to the Baltimore Orioles beating the Minnesota Twins 7-2.
Entering the afternoon needing just one more win to clench, the Royals would be shutout by the Atlanta Braves, only managing three hits during a 3-0 shutout in Atlanta at Truist Park.
The Braves got a two run home run from catcher Sean Murphy in the bottom of the fourth inning off Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer. In the bottom of the eight Marcell Ozuna would steal third, and a rare throwing error from Salvador Perez would allow him to come home to score the final run.
Singer would take the loss, his 13th, striking out five batters over six innings while giving up the two runs. Michael Massey was the leading hitter with two of the three hits, going 2 for 4 at the plate.
After the game, the Royals would hang out in the locker room to see if they would still need one more game, only needing a loss from the Twins now, and after Baltimore recorded the final out, the celebration began.
The Royals authored an impressive year-to-year turnaround, reaching the playoffs after losing 106 games in 2023. According to MLB's research, the Royals are just the second team to ever appear in the postseason in a full season a year after losing 100 or more games. The other team to accomplish that feat? The 2017 Minnesota Twins. (The Miami Marlins also did it in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.)
This marks the 10th time in franchise history that the Royals will appear in the postseason and the first since Major League Baseball expanded its format in 2022.
In the playoffs the Royals will face either the Houston Astros or the Baltimore Orioles. They currently hold the final AL Wildcard spot, which would mean a trip to Houston. If they can pass the Detroit Tigers, who did win Friday over the Chicago White Sox 4-1, they will travel to Baltimore.
Kansas City has two more games against the Braves over the weekend. Currently, Seth Lugo is slated to start Saturday while Cole Ragans would take the mound Sunday, but with a playoff berth clinched, that could change.
First pitch in Saturday's matchup with the Braves is at 5:45, with Reynaldo López set to start for Atlanta. Pregame will be at 5:30 on KFEQ.