Playoff baseball is back in Baltimore for the second straight season, as the Orioles will host the Kansas City Royals in the American League Wild Card Round starting Tuesday at Camden Yards. All games of the best of three series will be played in Baltimore on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons. This is the first time the Orioles have made the playoffs in consecutive seasons in 27 years.
The Orioles won four of the six regular season games between the two teams, all of which were played in April. The winner will move on to the American League Divisional Series round to face the New York Yankees.
The Orioles: Won the top American League Wild Card spot with a 91-71 record, finishing in second place in the American League East division to the New York Yankees. It’s the second straight playoff appearance for the team for the first time since the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Last year, the Orioles won the AL East division title with a 101-61 record. They lost in the American League Divisional Series (ALDS) to the Texas Rangers in three games. The Orioles have won three World Series championships, the last coming in 1983 when they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. That is also the last time they made the World Series. The last time they won a playoff series was in 2014, when they defeated the Detroit Tigers in three games in the ALDS. The Orioles then lost the American League Championship Series (ALCS) to the Kansas City Royals in four games.
The Royals: Won the second American League Wild Card Spot with an 86-76 record, finishing in second place in the American League Central division to the Cleveland Guardians. It’s their first playoff appearance since 2015, when they won the World Series over the New York Mets in five games. That was their third World Series championship, and their most recent playoff victory. The Royals finished with a 56-106 record last season, and their 30-win improvement this year is the fourth best improvement year to year in Major League history since divisions were instituted in 1969. 2024 is also their first winning season since their 2015 World Series championship.
Playoff History Between The Two Teams: The Orioles and Royals have met only once in postseason play. In the 2014 ALCS, the Royals swept the Orioles in four games.
Top Orioles players (regular season stats): SS Gunnar Henderson .281 AVG, 37 HR, 92 RBI, 21 SB, .893 OPS, 8.9 WAR - C Adley Rutschman .250 AVG, 19 HR, 79 RBI, 1 SB, .709 OPS, 3.4 WAR - SP Corbin Burnes 15-9, 2.92 ERA, 194.1 IP, 181 K, 48 BB, 1.10 WHIP, 3.4 WAR - OF Colton Cowser .242 AVG, 24 HR, 69 RBI, 9 SB, .768 OPS, 3.1 WAR - OF Anthony Santander .235 AVG, 44 HR, 102 RBI, 2 SB, .814 OPS, 2.9 WAR - 1B Ryan Mountcastle .271 AVG, 13 HR, 63 RBI, 3 SB, .733 OPS, 2.5 WAR
Top Royals players (regular season stats): SS Bobby Witt Jr. .332 AVG, 32 HR, 109 RBI, 31 SB, .977 OPS, 9.4 WAR - SP Seth Lugo 16-9, 3.00 ERA, 206.2 IP, 181 K, 48 BB, 1.09 WHIP, 5.3 WAR - SP Cole Ragans 11-9, 3.14 ERA, 186.1 IP, 223 K, 67 BB, 1.14 WHIP, 5.0 WAR - SP Michael Wacha 13-8, 3.35 ERA, 166.2 IP, 145 K, 45 BB, 3.5 WAR - SP Brady Singer 9-13, 3.71 ERA, 179.2 IP, 170 K, 54 BB, 1.27 WHIP, 3.1 WAR - C Freddy Fermin .271 AVG, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 2 SB, .685 OPS, 2.9 WAR
Schedule:
Game 1 - Tue. Oct. 1 Camden Yards 4:00
Game 2 - Wed. Oct. 2 Camden Yards 4:30
Game 3* - Thu. Oct. 3 Camden Yards 4:00
* = if necessary
