Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals go from 2 late 7-game losing streaks to the AL Division Series

BALTIMORE (AP) — After another September loss gave the Kansas City Royals a second seven-game slide in the final month of the season, Will Smith saw the upcoming off day as a chance to make his teammates laugh.

“You guys are looking at this the wrong way,” Smith said. “The bright side is we can’t lose tomorrow.”

The Royals won four of their final six games to make the playoffs a year after tying a franchise record with 106 losses, and after a two-game sweep of Baltimore, they are going to the AL Division Series to face the New York Yankees. It's the culmination of a remarkable turnaround from one season to the next and one game to the next.

“All we’re focused on is right now,” said first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who had his surgically repaired right thumb covered as a precaution amid spraying sparkling wine during a boozy visiting clubhouse celebration. “We’re just focused on winning that pitch, and that’s what this team does. Losing streaks, winning streaks — it doesn’t matter. We just focus on that next pitch. We’ve done a really good job at it, and we’re going to keep trying to do it.”