Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., center has champagne poured on him by teammates during the celebration in the locker room after a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Atlanta.

The Kansas City Royals shut out the Atlanta Braves 3-0 in Atlanta on Friday night. With the win, the Royals clinched a playoff spot in the American League for the first time since the 2015 season - the last time they won the World Series.

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 Royals didn’t prevail at Atlanta Friday, but they won big-time later in the evening when the O’s beat the Twins to send KC, at long last, back to the playoffs.

With former OU baseball commit Bobby Witt Jr. leading the way, the Kansas City Royals are closing in on their first trip to the MLB playoffs since winning the World Series in 2015. This is how things stand entering play on Friday,

Kansas City swept Baltimore in the 2014 American League Championship Series, while the Royals defeated the Astros in a thrilling five-game set in the opening round of the 2015 postseason. Royals catcher Salvador Pérez is the only player remaining on the roster from the 2014 and 2015 teams.

As the MLB season nears its conclusion, the playoff picture continues to get clearer with each passing game. The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals secured their spot in the playoffs on Friday – ending two of the longest droughts in the MLB.