Current-feed record
+13wins for Tigers
51% Tigers · 49% Royals
Tigers have pulled further ahead since 2023: 31-21.
Royals vs Tigers: Head-to-Head Since 2002
AL Central rivalry
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Tigers lead Royals413to411since 1969
Retrosheet history through 2025, plus 13 final games from the current feed.
2026 season series: Royals lead 7-6
Data updated 6 min read
At a glance
Current-feed analysis, 2002 to 2026
Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals insights
Recent form
11-9last 20
Royals on a 5-game streak
Royals won 11-7 on Aug 23, 2026
Where it matters
0Postseason games
No postseason meetings since 2002.
Schedule context
- Tigers built the series lead before the 2023 schedule change, taking 193 of 383 decided meetings (50%).
- Since the schedule balanced out they are 31-21, or 60% to Tigers.
Tigers vs Royals complete all-time series record
Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals is one of the 20 MLB pairings with a complete Retrosheet history, extended with final games through 2026. The current-feed tables below remain separately scoped to 2002 onward.
- History span
- 1969 to 2026
- Retrosheet plus later final games
- Postseason record
- Tigers 3-0
- 3 postseason games included
- Source bridge
- 13
- Later final games added after the Retrosheet endpoint
Win Percentage
224W
211W
DET
KC
51%49%
Detroit TigersKansas City Royals
Recent Games
Last 10 Games
Aug 23
KC 11-7 DET
KCAug 22
KC 3-1 DET
KCAug 21
KC 5-2 DET
KCJul 26
DET 4-5 KC
KCJul 25
DET 2-3 KC
KCJul 24
DET 2-1 KC
DETJul 23
DET 4-3 KC
DETMay 10
KC 3-6 DET
DETMay 9
KC 5-1 DET
KCMay 8
KC 4-3 DET
KC| Date | Home | Away | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2026 | KC | DET | 11–7 | KC |
| Aug 22, 2026 | KC | DET | 3–1 | KC |
| Aug 21, 2026 | KC | DET | 5–2 | KC |
| Jul 26, 2026 | DET | KC | 4–5 | KC |
| Jul 25, 2026 | DET | KC | 2–3 | KC |
| Jul 24, 2026 | DET | KC | 2–1 | DET |
| Jul 23, 2026 | DET | KC | 4–3 | DET |
| May 10, 2026 | KC | DET | 3–6 | DET |
| May 9, 2026 | KC | DET | 5–1 | KC |
| May 8, 2026 | KC | DET | 4–3 | KC |
Last Meeting
Aug 23, 2026Final
KC
11
HOME
DET
7
AWAY
Royalswon by4runs
Royals' 5th straight in this series·Game 435 since 2002
Streaks & Momentum
Current Streak
Kansas City Royals: 5 consecutive wins
5
Avg. Margin of Victory
Games decided by 3.5 runs on average
3.5runs
Momentum (Last 10 vs Archive since 2002)
DET↓Trending Down
Last 1030%
Archive since 200251.5%
KC↑Trending Up
Last 1070%
Archive since 200248.5%
Last 10 Results
DET / KC
Record since 2002
Season Split & Biggest Wins
Regular season vs Postseason record, plus each team's largest margin of victory
Regular Season435 games
224
211
No postseason meetings appear since 2002.
Detroit Tigers Biggest Win
19–4+15 runs
Jul 21, 2008
Kansas City Royals Biggest Win
26–5+21 runs
Sep 9, 2004
Decade Breakdown
Choose a decade to scope the current-feed page
Season by Season
| Season ↓ | DET ↕ | KC ↕ | Games ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| 2025 | 9 | 4 | 13 |
| 2024 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| 2023 | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| 2022 | 10 | 9 | 19 |
| 2021 | 8 | 11 | 19 |
| 2020 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 2019 | 10 | 9 | 19 |
| 2018 | 8 | 11 | 19 |
| 2017 | 8 | 11 | 19 |
| 2016 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
| 2015 | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| 2014 | 13 | 6 | 19 |
| 2013 | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| 2012 | 13 | 5 | 18 |
| 2011 | 11 | 7 | 18 |
| 2010 | 10 | 8 | 18 |
| 2009 | 9 | 9 | 18 |
| 2008 | 7 | 11 | 18 |
| 2007 | 11 | 7 | 18 |
| 2006 | 14 | 4 | 18 |
| 2005 | 10 | 9 | 19 |
| 2004 | 8 | 11 | 19 |
| 2003 | 5 | 14 | 19 |
| 2002 | 9 | 10 | 19 |
All 25 seasons are shown in the table above.
Home / Away Split
AWAY
105-110
DET
AWAY
101-119
KC
Retrosheet archiveComplete through 2025
Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals, from 1969 to 2025
Explore how this matchup changed by decade, where each lineup produced its runs, and the games that pushed the rivalry record book.
- Games
- 811
- Peak inning
- 5
- Record game
- 31 runs
Two source windows. Current-feed sections: 435 games from 2002 to 2026. History Lab: 811 Retrosheet games from 1969 to 2025. The first refreshes with current finals; Retrosheet's published archive currently ends in 2025.
Decade balance
Select an era to inspect pace, scoring and attendance.
DETKC
Scoring by inning
Runs per 100 batting innings, adjusted for unequal ninth and extra innings.
DETKC
54.0
157.2
50.6
244.8
58.6
353.9
45.6
455.0
62.8
547.2
45.1
660.3
56.2
752.8
45.1
848.8
44.5
945.1
46.9
EX50.4
- DET after scoring first
- 65.5%
- KC after scoring first
- 66.5%
- Lead-change games
- 42.4%
- Beyond nine innings
- 60
The games at the edges
Verified single-game records from the historical matchup log.
Highest total
31 runs
DET 5, KC 26
Sep 9, 2004
Biggest margin
21 runs
DET 5, KC 26
Sep 9, 2004
Longest game
16 innings
KC 5, DET 4
Jul 29, 1995
Largest crowd
52,168
DET 1, KC 0
Oct 5, 1984 · Postseason
Detroit Tigers largest comeback
7-run deficit
KC 10, DET 11
May 14, 1983
Kansas City Royals largest comeback
6-run deficit
DET 8, KC 10
Oct 1, 2006
Full archive stat line
Counting stats across games with complete team totals.
MetricDETKC
Hits7,2997,450
Home runs800714
Walks2,6232,347
Strikeouts5,1074,722
Errors585553
Where the rivalry lived
- 01378games
Kauffman Stadium
Kansas City, MO
- 02228games
Comerica Park
Detroit, MI
- 03180games
Tiger Stadium
Detroit, MI
Betting Context
Betting context since 2002
How this pairing has settled: run margins, totals and break-even prices derived from its historical record. These are final-score frequencies, not results against a closing line. We do not hold historical sportsbook prices for these games.
One-run games
31.7%
Share of the 435 decided meetings settled by exactly one run.
Won by 2 or more
68.3%
A 2+ run margin crosses 1.5, but this is not a historical line result. Average gap: 3.5.
Average total
9.2runs
Final-score average without accounting for park, bullpen or weather.
Home side wins
52.6%
Share of decided meetings won by the listed home team.
Totals ladder
Where the combined score landed against the half-run lines a book normally posts. Half runs cannot push, so every meeting falls on one side.
| Line | Over | Under | Over rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | 239 | 196 | 54.9% |
| 8.5Closest to even | 216 | 219 | 49.7% |
| 9.5 | 184 | 251 | 42.3% |
Fair price from the base rate
The decimal price that corresponds exactly to each club's win share in this archive. It describes the record and does not estimate the next game.
Detroit Tigers
224 W · 51.5%1.94
Kansas City Royals
211 W · 48.5%2.06
A base rate is not a forecast. Starting pitchers, lineups, injuries and venue all matter more to a single game than a multi-season head-to-head record.
Last 20 meetings vs full history
One-run games
45%vs 31.7% full archive
+13.3% in the last 20
Won by 2 or more
55%vs 68.3% full archive
-13.3% in the last 20
Average total
7.7 runsvs 9.2 runs full archive
-1.5 runs in the last 20
Seasons 2025 to 2026. The comparison shows whether the last 20 final scores differ from the longer archive, without assigning a cause or predicting what comes next.
View the break-even percentages in another odds format with the odds converter, or compare current prices for Tigers and Royals in the oddsmatcher.
Questions about this record: Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals
What is the Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals postseason record?
The postseason subset contains 3 games: Detroit Tigers have 3 wins and Kansas City Royals have 0 wins. Those games are already included in the complete series from 1969 through 2026.
How do recent Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals results compare with the complete record?
Kansas City Royals have won 7 of the latest 10 decided meetings. Detroit Tigers lead the decided record 413-411. The recent window is a subset of the complete series from 1969 through 2026, so the page reports the two separately.
Methodology & Data Sources
Current MLB game logs come from the balldontlie API and cover the 2002 season onward. Scores and schedule anomalies are checked against the official MLB Stats API. Spring training is excluded, while results from earlier franchise identities are merged into the current club.
The History Lab uses Retrosheet game logs through 2025, with inning lines, team totals, attendance, duration and ballpark fields when available. Its source window is labeled separately from the refreshed current feed that starts in 2002.
The betting context summarizes completed final scores only. It contains no sportsbook closing lines and summarizes only completed games. Report a possible error through our contact page with the matchup and game date.
Last updated Sources: balldontlie, MLB Stats API, Retrosheet
Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals have met 435 times in this archive, which covers the 2002 season onward.