The number under the Royals’ loss column is what fans will use to measure the success of the 2018 season.
But as manager Ned Yost shepherds a young batch of players into regular major-league roles in the early stages of a rebuilding project, he judges by a different scale. The wins and losses matter, of course, but Yost looks for personal growth and how players build on what they’ve learned.
Yost was happy with Royals rookie right-hander Heath Fillmyer, who outdueled two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber in a 7-1 win over the Indians on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium.