The vast rebuilding job that Ned Yost inherited as the manager of the Kansas City Royals was strikingly similar to the one he took on when he was hired by the Milwaukee Brewers.

The difference this time is that Yost will have a chance to stick around.

The Royals and Yost agreed to a two-year contract extension Tuesday after wrapping up an 86-76 season, the best finish for the franchise in 24 years. Yost’s contract was set to expire after the season, though both sides had expressed a desire for the manager to remain on board.

“Our main goal is to win the World Series, but we took a major step this year,” Yost said. “We finished 10 games over .500. That was huge for us. That was a big step.”

The next big step is to make the playoffs, something that Yost had the Brewers on the verge of when he was fired in 2008. He eventually landed in Kansas City and became the interim manager in 2010, and then lost more than 90 games each of his first two full seasons in charge.

His biggest task then was to help develop one of the youngest rosters in baseball, and the work began to pay off this year. The Royals rebounded from a disastrous 8-20 May to go 43-27 after the All-Star break, and weren’t eliminated from wild-card contention until their penultimate series.

“Milwaukee was a great experience for me, like May was a good experience for our team,” Yost said. “I’m thankful for that opportunity because it made me stronger. It made me a better manager. The May we went through, it made us better, it made us stronger, because we endured it, and we were better for it the rest of the year.”

Yost, who is 741-831 in 10 seasons as a manager, held off on discussing a new contract until after the season. It came together quickly on Monday.

“When you have something good you need to stick with it,” outfielder Alex Gordon said after the final game, “and I think that’s what we have. We have a good manager that gels well with the guys on this team and we all have a good relationship.”

Yost’s two-year deal creates a strange situation in the organization in that general manager Dayton Moore is only under contract through next season. Moore declined to discuss whether he will also seek an extension this offseason, saying only that he’s “secure” with his situation.

“I’m at peace about where I am and what we’ve done,” Moore said. “There’s an emotion and an expectation and excitement around this group of players, and in a small way, I feel like we’ve won the World Series, because we have a fan base that’s excited.”

Now that Yost is under contract, Moore will soon turn his attention to putting together a roster for next season. Most of the lineup will return intact, led by promising young players such as first baseman Eric Hosmer and catcher Salvy Perez. But plenty of questions remain, starting with right field and what was one of the best starting rotations in the big leagues.

The Royals cobbled together right field when Jeff Francoeur fizzled out, and David Lough and Justin Maxwell were platooning there late in the season. But Yost and Moore both have indicated they would like to add a bat with power to the lineup, and right field is the natural fit.

In the rotation, Ervin Santana and Bruce Chen are both eligible for free agency. Santana may have priced himself out of the Royals with the best season of his career, but Moore said that he anticipates having the resources necessary to make a competitive bid to keep both pitchers.

If that doesn’t happen, Moore said that youngsters Yordano Ventura, Danny Duffy and Kyle Zimmer are prepared to compete for a starting job in spring training.

“Every team has holes. We certainly are not immune to that,” Moore said. “We’ll look at the areas where we can improve, but you can only improve with talent and opportunities available to you, and I have no idea what opportunities are going to be available going forward.”

Moore did say that he expects the Royals’ payroll, which was a franchise-record $81,241,725 on opening day, to remain the same or perhaps even increase next season.

“You have a deep-pitted feeling in your stomach every year you’re not in the playoffs,” Moore said. “We want that for our fan base. We want that for our players in the worst way. So we’re going to continue to work to press the right buttons.”

— Associated Press —

The Kansas City Royals think this is only the beginning. Wait until next year comes around.

Bruce Chen pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning and Kansas City beat the Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Sunday in the finale of the Royals’ best season in 24 years.

”It’s a good start. I think we’re making progress as an organization,” said manager Ned Yost, who completed the final season of his contract but is expected to return next year. ”Ten games over .500, it’s a significant first step and we need to continue to build on it.”

Kansas City won three of four in Chicago and went 17-10 in September for its most successful month of the season. The Royals’ 86-76 record was their best mark since they went 92-70 in 1989.

”This team came out every game and expected to win every game regardless of what happened the night before,” said Greg Holland, who got three outs for his 47th save. ”We got to grind it out that way; that’s how you get in the playoffs. We came up short but I think going into next spring we’re going to be pretty happy with where we’re at.”

Chen’s sharp outing put a damper on what might have been the last major league game for White Sox captain Paul Konerko, who is eligible for free agency and isn’t sure if he will play again next year. The veteran first baseman is second in franchise history with 427 homers and 1,361 RBIs, and third with 2,249 hits.

Konerko was greeted with loud cheers when he was introduced with the starting lineup, and the crowd of 22,633 saluted the slugger with a standing ovation when he came to the plate in the first. He was replaced by Conor Gillaspie with one out in the top of the second, and he stopped to shake pitcher Jose Quintana’s hand as he left the field to more cheers.

”It always feels good. The fans here have treated me great over the years,” said Konerko, who tweaked his back during Saturday night’s 6-5 victory, leading to the quick hook in the finale. ”In a year like this, they treated me better than probably I deserved, really the whole team when you think about it.”

Konerko waved his hat to the crowd as he made his way to the dugout. With the Royals also standing and clapping on the other side, the six-time All-Star acknowledged the long ovation with a brief curtain call.

”We’ll see how I feel in a month or a month and a half from now,” Konerko said about his future, ”and try to come to grips with what’s what.”

Chen (9-4) allowed one run, struck out four and walked three in 6 2-3 innings. The crafty left-hander went 6-4 with a 3.61 ERA in 15 starts after he joined the rotation in July.

”I feel like I helped the team in the second half,” Chen said. ”I feel like I was a major contributor on a team making a run on the playoffs and it was fun.”

Alexei Ramirez homered for the White Sox, who left seven runners on base. Konerko fouled out to first with two on in his only plate appearance.

Chicago loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but Holland struck out Gordon Beckham and Marcus Semien to end the game.

It was a fitting end for Chicago (63-99), which had one of the majors’ worst offenses this year. Hitting coach Jeff Manto was let go on Saturday, and the White Sox finished with their most losses since they had a franchise-record 106 in 1970.

”Nobody is happy with losing,” Quintana said. ”We obviously didn’t get to the goal as a team, but the positive thing is to learn from it and come back the very next year and see what we can do.”

Quintana (9-7) pitched seven innings to reach 200 for the season. He was charged with four runs and six hits.

The lefty issued two walks, and each of them was costly. Johnny Giavotella got one before Salvador Perez hit his 13th homer in the fourth, and Justin Maxwell got the other before Brett Hayes’ first homer of the year in the seventh.

Perez misplayed a popup in his first career start at first base, but finished with three hits. The usual catcher went 6 for 12 with two homers and four RBIs in the series.

”What a day he had offensively,” Yost said. ”Salvy’s going to be a producer all the way around, defensively, offensively.”

— Associated Press —

Adam Dunn and Conor Gillaspie each hit two-run homers and the Chicago White Sox earned a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.

After the game, the Chicago White Sox announced they had fired hitting coach Jeff Manto.

Marcus Semien and Jordan Danks added solo homers for the White Sox, while Mike Moustakas, Billy Butler and Salvador Perez went deep for the Royals.

All 11 runs in the game came via the home run.

The White Sox (63-98) avoided a 100-loss season with one game remaining.

”Nobody wants that, the 100 losses,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said before the game. ”But it’s not gonna make me feel any better to have 99 instead of 100 going into next year.”

It was an unseasonably warm night and the ball was flying out as if it was the middle of summer.

The White Sox opened the scoring with back-to-back homers from Semien and Danks in the bottom of the second inning for a 2-0 lead. It’s the fourth time this season the White Sox have hit back-to-back homers.

The advantage grew to 4-0 when Dunn smashed a two-run shot in the third. It was Dunn’s 34th homer on the season.

Those homers were surrendered by Royals starter Yordano Ventura (0-1), who allowed four runs and six hits in four innings.

White Sox starter Erik Johnson (3-2) didn’t allow a hit through the first 4 1-3 innings.

Moustakas then homered to right field with one out in the fifth inning. Then in the top of the sixth, Butler hit a two-run shot to make it 4-3.

The home runs continued in the bottom of the seventh when Gillaspie smacked the first pitch from left-handed reliever Tim Collins just over the right-field fence for a two-run homer and a 6-3 cushion. Perez got the runs right back with a two-run shot in the eighth.

White Sox closer Addison Reed worked a scoreless ninth for his 40th save.

— Associated Press —

It was a night of individual achievements for the Kansas City Royals and another step closer to a dubious distinction for the Chicago White Sox on Friday.

Royals pitcher James Shields struck out 10 and scattered four hits over seven innings for his 100th career win, and the Royals beat Chicago 6-1 to ensure the White Sox of their worst record since 1970.

Shields (13-9) gave up just one run and walked one as Chicago lost its fourth straight.

”I’m really excited I got my 100th win today,” Shields said. ”I’m just proud of my season this year. A hundred wins in the big leagues is a pretty special moment.”

Also receiving accolades was Royals third baseman Jamey Carroll, whose fourth-inning double was the 1,000th hit of his major league career.

”It’s something one day you can look back and have a lot of pride in, when your kids are asking what that ball’s for or what that jersey is all about,” Carroll said, adding with a laugh, ”only 22 more years to 3,000.”

Carroll’s teammates put a bottle of 1,000 Island salad dressing in his locker as a memento of his achievement.

The mood in the White Sox locker room was more somber.

At 62-98 and with two games remaining, the White Sox will finish with the second-most losses in franchise history, ahead of only the team that went 56-106 more than four decades ago.

”Nobody wants that,” manager Robin Ventura said before the game of reaching 100 losses. ”Is it going to be the big difference going into next year? Probably not, but nobody wants that.”

The White Sox will finish last in their division for the first time since 1989 (69-92), and will end the season with a losing record against every team in the American League.

Billy Butler led the Royals with three hits and two RBIs, while Emilio Bonifacio drove in two runs with two hits.

The Royals’ 85th win is their most since 1989 when they were 92-70.

The Royals took a 3-0 lead in the first off White Sox starter Chris Sale (11-14).

Bonifacio walked and stole second, moved to third on Eric Hosmer’s single, and both scored on Butler’s double. Butler scored on Lorenzo Cain’s single.

”To give Shields a 3-0 lead in the first, it’s quite comforting,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. ”He’s given us not only No. 1 starter stuff, he’s provided great leadership, has been a great example for our guys. He’s a big part of our season and why we’re at 85 wins now.”

Kansas City, which has won 21 of its last 31, made it 4-0 in the fourth on Carroll’s milestone double and scored on Bonifacio’s single.

Sale was lifted with one out in the top of the sixth. He gave up four runs and nine hits, walked one and struck out five. He also hit a batter.

”I think that’s a reoccurring theme every year: My last (start is) always a bad one,” Sale said. ”Hopefully, I can fix that next year. I just didn’t have it tonight.”

Sale’s replacement, Jacob Petricka, promptly gave up two runs. Alcides Escobar singled and scored on Alex Gordon’s double. Gordon scored on another single by Bonifacio.

Chicago’s run came on Gordon Beckham’s fifth home run of the season in the sixth. The following batter, Alexei Ramirez, appeared to follow with another homer, but Gordon grabbed the ball at the fence in left field.

— Associated Press —