KC Royals: Manager Ned Yost Searching For 1,000th Win

Royals manager Ned Yost has already become the winningest manager in Royals history, but he is also on the cusp of joining an elite group of men that stand at the top of managerial history with 1,000 career wins. After a horrific four game sweep by the A’s, the Royals skipper sits tight at 999.

Yost made his managerial debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003, where he stayed until 2008. During his time with the organization, he accrued his first 457 wins, with his best seasons coming in 2007 and 2008, when his club won a total of 83 games both years. Yost finished his tenure in 2008 with a record of 457-502 (.477).

Kansas City Royals fans will always remember the makeover that Dayton Moore washed over Kauffman Stadium and the Royals clubhouse. With the addition of Ned Yost for the 2010 season, he and Royals fans alike were hopeful for the future of their Kansas City team.

The team, of course, struggled during the fifty-five year old’s first few years at the helm, posting 55, 71 and 72 win seasons. With questions beginning to swirl and hope slowly circling the drain, the 2013 season showed some promise. While the team missed the playoffs that year, they managed an 86 win season, far beyond what Yost had achieved in previous years with KC.

Coupled with the analytical mind of Dayton Moore, Yost and his crew made the 2014 Wild Card game after another improved 89 win season. I won’t rehash the 2014 postseason as the sting hasn’t completely worn off yet.

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The 2015 season peeked it’s head around the corner and the Royals knew what they had to do. Yost came to within five games of posting a 100-win season, but the team went on to do great things and earn manager Ned Yost his first and only World Series title.

The “hangover season” is a different story. The KC Royals are still competing for the second wild card spot, but the team seems to be flat out exhausted. The people of Royals Twitter last shouted #HEYHEYHEYHEY on Sunday, September 11, when Ian Kennedy out-dueled Chris Sale in a Kansas City Royals 2-0 victory; this would mark Ned Yost’s 999th career win.

It is now September 16 and Yost has yet to reach the 1,000 mark; no matter how many times Ryan and Hud show the statistic during game broadcasts, the Royals have just been unable to pick up the landmark win for their skipper.

Side note:

Ned Yost catches a lot of flack for leaving his pitchers in too long or allowing a certain right-handed reliever to toss in high-leverage situations, but Yost is a good manager, even though it might be hard to see sometimes. So as the 2016 meltdown winds down here in September, cut him some slack and remember the two magical postseason runs that he facilitated. Ned Yost bleeds blue, just like all of us Royals fans.