The Royals won 86 games in the regular season, fewer than any team in the post-season except the Tigers. Twelve of those wins came against the embarrassing White Sox - the Royals went 74-75 against everyone else. For most of the year, they had one of the worst bullpen in baseball, and in September they had THE worst offense in baseball.
None of that matters now.
The Royals in the big dance, and everyone’s record is 0-0 now. Or was. The Royals took Game 1 against the Orioles and did it in the most Royals way possible - through great starting pitching and scratching and clawing for a run using small ball.