Royals make history in World Series loss
No team has ever had an October like the 2014 Kansas City Royals. Unfortunately for baseball's newest Cinderella team, its improbable playoff run - which began in late September - didn't conclude with a happy ending.
The Royals went 11-4 in the postseason - the most playoff wins in major league history for a team that didn't win the World Series, according to Sports Illustrated's Cliff Corcoran.
Despite losing the World Series in seven games, Kansas City had a better winning percentage (.733) than the world-champion San Francisco Giants (.706), thanks to starting off the playoffs on an 8-0 run. The Giants went 12-5 throughout the postseason, marking the second time in World Series history that the losing team finished the postseason with a better record than the champion.
Kansas City also had history on its side, and almost prevailed. The last nine teams to host Game 7 of the World Series at home had emerged victorious. In the end, though, Kansas City became the first home team to lose a winner-take-all Game 7 World Series contest since 1979.
But the Royals made it close thanks to a ninth-inning, two-out single by Alex Gordon off eventual World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner. An error on the play allowed Gordon to reach third base, but catcher Salvador Perez was unable to advance him the final 90 feet, ultimately popping out in foul territory to end the contest.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Only two other teams have lost Game 7 of the World Series with the tying run on third base.
Perez's out marked a bittersweet end to what was ultimately an incredible year for the American League wild-card winners.