Kansas City Royals

Three years ago, the Houston Astros lost 107 games, and the Chicago Cubs lost 101. The Kansas City Royals were finishing their fourth straight 90-loss season, their eighth in nine years. The Pittsburgh Pirates were making North American sports history with their 20th-straight losing season.

First off, congratulations are in order. The Kansas City Royals, longtime doormats of the American League, are AL Central champions, which is something they've never been. That has to feel good.

The inevitable crowning is finally upon us. With a 10-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, the Kansas City Royals clinched their first AL Central championship and first division title overall since their 1985 World Series run.

The Kansas City Royals bullpen will be short-handed for the time being as closer Greg Holland recovers from a sore elbow. 

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The veneer of invincibility that struck fear and intimidation into so many opponents has faded, and it has been replaced by a sense, real or perceived, of vulnerability.

Sometimes that's all it takes to lose the advantage.

While most sports fans were focused on the second week of the NFL season, Kendrys Morales had himself a day, picking up three solo home runs and a triple in the Kansas City Royals' 10-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Omar Infante’s disastrous regular season for the Kansas City Royals may be over, as it's unlikely he'll play again before the postseason due to a back injury.

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A strong starting rotation is normally a necessity for any team with hopes of winning the World Series. Just ask the San Francisco Giants, who rode Madison Bumgarner to the 2014 World Series championship.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas' breakout 2015 season hit a new high on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles as he went 3-for-5 with two home runs and a career-high nine RBI in a 14-6 victory.

In addition to Moustakas setting a new single-game benchmark for runs driven in, Joel Goldberg of Fox Sports Kansas City noted the other marks the 27-year-old broke or tied:

The Kansas City Royals have hit an unexpected bump in their road to a repeat World Series bid. Or, to be more accurate, several bumps.