After nine long, agonizing years, the Kansas City Royals made their return to the MLB Postseason this week, appearing for the first time since their 2015 World Series Crown. In the American League Wild Card Series, the Baltimore Orioles stood in between Kansas City and their postseason goals.

The Royals sputtered into the playoffs, winning just four of their final 13 games, with a virtually non-existent offense in throughout the stretch, but as many baseball fans will tell you – you can toss the records out the window once the postseason begins.

Kansas City’s offense received a much-needed boost with the return of Vinnie Pasquantino to the lineup. Pasquantino fractured his thumb in an August 29th loss at the Houston Astros. Projected to miss anywhere between six and eight weeks with the injury, the Royals’ first baseman made a miraculous and speedy recovery, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Pasquantino delivered in the first inning of Game 2, driving in a run on a single to right field. The offense behind Pasquantino continued to sputter, but the opportunistic Royals would scratch across the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, as MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. reached on an infield single, scoring Kyle Isbel from third base in a critical play with two outs in the inning.

The Royals may not have produced much offensively in the two-game sweep, tallying just three runs, but they got exactly what they needed, and their pitching would take care of the rest.

Following the six shutout inning outing from Pitcher Cole Ragans in the first contest, Seth Lugo continued the solid starting pitching for Kansas City in Game 2. Lugo would pitch just 4.1 innings, and allow only one run on a solo home run from Cedric Mullins in the 5th inning, but the often heavily criticized Royals bullpen met the challenge and then some.

All told, Kansas City’s relievers would toss 7.2 scoreless innings in the Wild Card round, allowing just two hits in total.

The postseason is often all about pitching, and Kansas City got that and much more in the biggest moments.

Next, the Royals will take on the perennial giant of Major League Baseball in the New York Yankees in the best-of-five American League Divisional Series beginning on Saturday night. Game 1 is set for a 5:38 PM first pitch and will air on 1150 KSAL and 106.7 FM, with pregame coverage from the Royals Radio Network starting at 5 PM.