A few weeks ago, the idea of the 2018 Kansas City Royals losing fewer than 100 games was preposterous.
On Thursday, August 23, the Tampa Bay Rays walked off the Royals in St. Petersburg, handing Kansas City their fifth loss in a row to drop their record to an unsightly 38-90. That .297 winning percentage, if carried through to the end of the season, translated to 114 losses. That would be far and away the worst season in Royals history, ‘besting’ the previous record of 106 losses by eight, and would rank among the top in the pantheon of worst seasons in modern MLB history.