the Royals, their first winning season since 2003. In 2014, Yost led the Royals to their first playoff berth since 1985, finishing 89–73. Yost's Royals swept the Baltimore Orioles in four games in the American League Championship Series to give the team its first American League pennant in 29 years. In doing so, the team became the first team in MLB history to win their first eight consecutive playoff games. The Royals were then defeated four games to three in the 2014 World Series by the San Francisco Giants. Yost finished third in the voting for 2014 Manager of the Year and signed a one-year contract extension in the offseason to stay with the club through 2016. At the start of the 2015 season, Yost led the team to a 7–0 start marking the best start to a season in team history since 2003 (which saw the Royals win their first nine games). In his fifth full season as manager, Yost became the longest-tenured manager in Royals history. He later also became the winningest manager in Royals club history after a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on June 18, 2015. On the final day of the 2015 regular season, Yost's Royals clinched the best record in the American League at 95-67, giving Kansas City home field advantage throughout the playoffs, including the World Series by virtue of the AL's victory in the All-Star Game. The Royals defeated the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays and ultimately the New York Mets to bring Kansas City its first World Series championship since 1985, and Yost his first title as a manager. On August 18, 2015, MLB gave Yost a warning about using an Apple Watch he received from the MLB because of MLB's policy of no internet enabled devices in the dugout during gametime. Yost received the watch as a present from MLB for winning the 2014 AL pennant. Yost later told a local radio station that MLB had rescinded the warning after learning that the networking features of the Apple Watch were only available with an active iPhone connection. Yost has often been criticized for his idiosyncratic decision-making and rejection of Sabermetrics, such as with the arrangement of his batting order and bullpen management, but he also has defended his methods as ones needed to give the team confidence in their ability; Yost was once quoted as saying "I’ve been known