The Royals celebrate their postseason clinching win in Chicago (photo/MLB)

The Royals celebrate their postseason clinching win in Chicago (photo/MLB)

The Royals have claimed a wild card spot with their 3-1 over Chicago on Friday night and ended the longest active postseason drought among the major North American sports leagues. The last time the Royals made it to the playoffs, (as fans on both sides of the state remember), was when they beat the Cardinals in 1985.

With Detroit losing to Minnesota, Kansas City trails the Tigers by a game in the AL Central with two to play. If they are tied after Sunday, the teams will play game No. 163 at Detroit on Monday to determine the division winner.   Kansas City also maintained a one-game lead in the wild-card standings over Oakland, which won 6-2 at Texas.

Jeremy Guthrie held the White Sox scoreless in his seven innings on just four hits.  Wade Davis gave up a triple and a single in between strikeout to allow the only run and the runner to advance past second base to score in the playoff clinching victory.  So many times in the last 29 years, Royals fans have had their hearts broken or just plain shattered by May or June with the prospects of a long season ahead.

However, 2014, the season was long for all the right reasons.  The club went 15-3 during a stretch in August that saw them make up a five-game deficit to Detroit, for the second time this season, and turn it into a two game lead.  They surrendered first place in the Central but never fell too far out and never lost their hold on one of the two wild card spots.

Manager Ned Yost talks about his playoff team (VIDEO/MLB.com)