Following their triumphant 2015 season, where they clinched the World Series title with a remarkable 95-67 record, the Kansas City Royals experienced a downturn. They ended 2016 at 81-81, followed by an 80-82 finish in 2017. Their struggles hit a low point in 2018 (58-104) and 2019 (59-103). Despite the challenges, the pandemic-shortened season in 2020 (26-34) and 2021 (74-88) showed improvement compared to the dismal period of 2018-19. Nevertheless, the Royals are determined to emerge from this rough patch. Their aspiration is to regain prominence, and they've taken decisive steps towards this goal for the 2022 season. One notable move was acquiring Zack Greinke, a homegrown pitcher, who, at the age of 38, returned to his roots after recording a 4.16 ERA in 171 innings for the Houston Astros the previous year.