KC Royals championship history and World Series appearances

The Kansas City Royals' 2024 season is over, with the team having been eliminated in the American League Division Series by the New York Yankees on October 10. Despite not going all the way to the World Series, the Royals exceeded all reasonable expectations this year, spectacularly bouncing back from their woeful 106-loss season in 2023, and proving the team can contend with the best of the best going into next year.

If the Royals manage to build on the momentum they established in 2024, the team could be contending for a World Series title in the not-so-distant future — the team's first in at least a decade.

When was the last time the KC Royals won the World Series?

The Royals won their most recent World Series title in 2015, beating the New York Mets in five games. Having started the Series strong by winning Games 1 and 2 at home, the Royals traveled to New York for Game 3, which the Mets won, 9-3. This was ultimately the only game New York managed to win in the Series, with the Royals taking Games 4 and 5 — both of which were also at Citi Field — to win the title.

Kansas City's successful 2015 campaign was the team's second consecutive season appearing in the World Series. Having won the AL Pennant but ultimately lost the World Series to the San Francisco Giants in 2014, the Royals' title the following season made them the first team to win the World Series after losing the previous year since the Oakland Athletics in 1989.

KC Royals' championship history and World Series appearances

Since the franchise's establishment in 1969, the Royals have only won two World Series titles — 1985 and 2015 — but they've made a total of four appearances in the final round. In addition to the two years they won it all, the Royals won the AL pennant in both 1980 and 2014 to advance to the World Series, ultimately losing to the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants, respectively.

What is the longest World Series drought in KC Royals history?

Prior to their 2015 title, the Royals had gone exactly 30 years without a World Series win. Since the franchise had been founded just 16 years before the team's first title in 1985, and it's only been a decade since their most recent win, the gap between the two titles is the longest drought in Royals history.

History of KC Royals World Series MVPs

Corresponding to the team's two World Series titles, there have been two Royals players to win the World Series Most Valuable Player Award in franchise history.

In 1985, starting pitcher Bret Saberhagen was named MVP after pitching two complete games — including one shutout — and posting a 2-0 record with 10 strikeouts and just one earned run in 18 innings. Catcher Salvador Pérez took home the award in 2015, having posted a .364 batting average with 3 runs scored during the Series, as well as catching 51 innings in five games played.