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Kansas City Royals Wiki Information

The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium. The Royals have participated in two World Series, winning in 1985.

The "Royals" name originates from the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, and rodeo held annually in Kansas City since 1899. ^[1]

Entering Major League Baseball as an expansion franchise in 1969, the club was founded by Ewing Kauffman, a Kansas City businessman. The franchise was established following the actions of Stuart Symington, then-United States Senator from Missouri, who demanded a new franchise for the city after the Athletics—Kansas City's previous major league team from 1955 to 1967—moved to Oakland, California.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS TICKETS

EVENT	DATE	AVAILABILITY
Spring Training: Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers Tickets 2/21	Feb 21, 2025 Friday
Spring Training: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets 2/22	Feb 22, 2025 Sat, 1:05 PM
Spring Training: Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago White Sox Tickets 2/23	Feb 23, 2025 Sunday
Spring Training: Kansas City Royals vs. Oakland Athletics Tickets 2/24	Feb 24, 2025 Monday
Spring Training: Texas Rangers vs. Kansas City Royals Tickets 2/25	Feb 25, 2025 Tuesday

Franchise history

1969–1979: Taking off

The Royals began play in 1969 in Kansas City, Missouri. In their inaugural game, on April 8, 1969, the Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins 4–3 in 12 innings.

The team was quickly built through a number of trades engineered by its first General Manager, Cedric Tallis, including a trade for Lou Piniella, who won the Rookie of the Year during the Royals' inaugural season. The Royals also invested in a strong farm system and soon developed such future stars as pitchers Paul Splittorff and Steve Busby, infielders George Brett and Frank White, and outfielder Al Cowens.

In 1971, the Royals had their first winning season, with manager Bob Lemon leading them to a second-place finish. In 1973, under manager Jack McKeon, the Royals adopted their iconic "powder blue" road uniforms and moved from Municipal Stadium to the brand-new Royals Stadium (now known as Kauffman Stadium).

Manager Whitey Herzog replaced McKeon in 1975, and the Royals quickly became the dominant franchise in the American League's Western Division, winning three straight division championships from 1976 to 1978. However, the Royals lost to the New York Yankees in three straight American League Championship Series encounters.

1980–84: From pennant to pine tar incident

After the Royals finished in second place in 1979, Herzog was fired and replaced by Jim Frey. Under Frey, the Royals rebounded in 1980 and advanced to the ALCS, where they again faced the Yankees. The Royals vanquished the Yankees in a three-game sweep punctuated by a George Brett home run off of Yankees' star relief pitcher Goose Gossage. After reaching their first World Series, the Royals fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.

The Royals returned to the post-season in 1981, losing to the Oakland Athletics in a unique divisional series resulting from the split-season caused by the 1981 Major League Baseball strike. In July 1983, while the Royals were headed for a second-place finish behind the Chicago White Sox another chapter in the team's rivalry with the Yankees occurred. In what has come to be known as "the Pine Tar Incident," umpires discovered illegal placement of pine tar (more than 18 inches up the handle) on third baseman George Brett's bat after he had hit a 2-run home run off Gossage that put the Royals up 5–4 in the top of the 9th.After Yankee Manager Billy Martin came out of the dugout to talk to home plate umpire Tim McClelland, McClelland and the other umpires mulled over the bat(measuring it over home plate, touching it, etc.). McClelland then pointed to Brett in the dugout and then gave the out sign, thereby disallowing the home run. George Brett then stormed out of the dugout, angry and hysterical. McClelland ejected Brett. The homer was later reinstated by the commissioner and the Royals went on to win after the game was resumed several weeks later. "The Pine Tar Incident" has now become part of baseball lore.

Under the leadership of manager Dick Howser, the Royals won their fifth division championship in 1984, relying on Brett's bat and the young pitching staff of Bret Saberhagen, Mark Gubicza, Charlie Leibrandt, Bud Black and Danny Jackson. The Royals were then swept by the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series. The Tigers went on to win the World Series.

1985: Missouri's finest and the "I-70 Series"

In the 1985 regular season the Royals topped the Western Division for the sixth time in ten years, led by Bret Saberhagen's Cy Young Award-winning performance. Throughout the ensuing playoffs, the Royals repeatedly put themselves into difficult positions, but managed to escape each time. With the Royals down 3-games-to-one in the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Royals eventually rallied to win the series 4–3.

In the 1985 World Series against the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals – the "I-70 Series" because the two teams are both located in the state of Missouri and connected by Interstate 70 – the Royals again fell behind 3–1. The key game in the Royals' comeback was Game 6. Facing elimination, the Royals trailed 1–0 in the bottom of the ninth inning, before rallying to score two runs and win. The rally was helped by a controversial safe call at first base by umpire Don Denkinger, which allowed Royals outfielder Jorge Orta to reach base safely as the first baserunner of the inning.

Following Orta's single, the Cardinals dropped an easy popout and suffered a passed ball, before the Royals went on to win with a bloop base hit by seldom used pinch hitter Dane Iorg. Following the tension of Game 6, the Cardinals came undone in Game 7, and the Royals won 11–0 to clinch the franchise's first World Series title.

1986–1994: Staying in the picture

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Royals developed young stars such as Bo Jackson, Tom Gordon, and Kevin Seitzer, made some successful free-agent acquisitions, and generally posted winning records, but always fell short of the post-season. For example, in 1989, the Royals won 92 games and posted the third-best record in baseball, but did not qualify for the playoffs.

Many of the team's highlights from this era instead centered around the end of Brett's career, such as his third and final batting title in 1990 – which made him the first player to win batting titles in three different decades – and his 3,000th hit. Though the team dropped out of contention from 1990 to 1992, the Royals still could generally be counted on to post winning records through the strike-shortened 1994 season.

1995–2001: The decline

At the start of the 1990s, the Royals had been hit with a double-whammy when General Manager John Schuerholz departed in 1990 and team owner Ewing Kauffman died in 1993. Kauffman's death left the franchise without permanent ownership until Wal-Mart executive David Glass purchased the team for $ 96 million in 2000. Partly because of the resulting lack of leadership, after the 1994 season the Royals decided to reduce payroll by trading pitcher David Cone and outfielder Brian McRae, then continued their salary dump in the 1995 season. In fact, the team payroll (which was always among the league's highest) was sliced from $40.5 million in 1994 to $18.5 million in 1996. ^[2]

As attendance slid and the average MLB salary continued to rise, rather than pay higher salaries or lose their players to free agency, the Royals traded their remaining stars such as Kevin Appier, Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye. Making matters worse, most of the younger players that the Royals received in exchange for these All-Stars proved of little value, setting the stage for an extended downward spiral. Indeed, the Royals set a franchise low with a .398 winning percentage (64–97 record) in 1999, and lost 97 games again in 2001.

In the middle of this era, in 1997, the Royals declined the opportunity to switch to the National League as part of a realignment plan to introduce the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays as expansion teams.

2002–06: Rock bottom

In 2002, the Royals set a new team record for futility, losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history. They fired manager Tony Muser and he was replaced by Tony Peña.

The 2003 season saw a temporary end to the losing, when manager Tony Peña, in his first full season with the club, guided the Royals to their first winning record (83–79) since the 1994 season. He was named the American League Manager of the Year for his efforts and then shortstop Angel Berroa was named AL Rookie of the Year. The team spent a majority of the season in first, but ended up in third place behind the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins, who won the AL Central.

Picked by many to win their division in 2004 after faring well in the free agent market, the Royals got off to a disappointing start and by late June were back in a rebuilding mode, releasing veteran reliever Curtis Leskanic before financial incentives kicked in and trading veteran reliever Jason Grimsley and superstar center fielder Carlos Beltrán for prospects, all within a week of each other. The team subsequently fell apart completely, establishing a new low by losing 104 games. The Royals did, however, see promising seasons from two rookies, center fielder David DeJesus and starting pitcher Zack Greinke. Among the many mistakes of 2004, was acquiring Juan Gonzalez, Benito Santiago, and keeping pitchers Darrell May and Brian Anderson, both of whom underachieved after a great 2003 season. They all were let go during the season or after the season's end.

In 2005, the Royals continued a youth movement, with one of the smallest payrolls in the Major Leagues. The Royals ended the 2005 season with a 56–106 record (.346), a full 43 games out of first place. It was the third time in four seasons that the team reestablished the mark for worst record in the history of the franchise. During that season, the Royals also suffered a franchise record 19-game losing streak highlighted by a three-game stretch of blowout losses at home from August 6 through August 9; in that stretch the Royals lost 16–1 to the Oakland Athletics, were shut out 11–0 by Oakland, and then in the third game, against the Cleveland Indians, built a 7–2 lead in the ninth inning before allowing 11 runs to lose 13–7. During the season manager Tony Peña quit and was replaced by interim manager Bob Schaefer until the Indians' bench coach Buddy Bell was chosen as the next manager.

Looking for a quick turnaround, general manager Allard Baird signed several veteran players prior to the 2006 season, including Doug Mientkiewicz, Mark Grudzielanek, Joe Mays and Scott Elarton. Nevertheless, the Royals struggled through another 100-loss season in 2006, becoming just the eleventh team in major league history to lose 100 games in three straight seasons. ^[3] During the season Baird was fired as GM and replaced by Dayton Moore.

2007–present: "New. Blue. Tradition."

2007

During the 2006 offseason, Kansas City appeared to be opening up its wallet, and entered the 2007 season looking to rebound from four out of five seasons ending with at least 100 losses. They outbid the Cubs and Blue Jays for free agent righty Gil Meche, signing him to five-year, $55 million contract. Reliever Octavio Dotel also inked a one-year, $5 million contract. but was traded before seasons end. The Royals have signed various new players, adding bulk to their bullpen and hitting, and the team has added several new promising prospects, including the likes of Alex Gordon and Billy Butler. Under general manager Dayton Moore the Royals were arguably the most aggressive team in the offseason. Among one of Dayton Moore's first acts as General Manager was instating a new motto for the team: "True. Blue. Tradition." The Royals plan on a slogan that will bank on new general manager Dayton Moore’s ability to restore the Royals’ once-rich history. ^[4] In 2008, the Royals also ditched their black and sleeveless jerseys, instead reviving their "old" jerseys from years past. ^[5] For 2008, to coincide with the introduction of powder blue alternate home jerseys, the new slogan changed from "True. Blue. Tradition" to "New. Blue. Tradition".

In the 2007 MLB Draft, the Royals selected shortstop Mike Moustakas at #2 overall, signing him minutes before the deadline. In June, the Royals had their first winning month since July 2003, and in July had their second consecutive winning month of the season. On August 1, manager Buddy Bell announced his intentions to resign following the 2007 season. ^[6] On September 12, the Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins 6–3 to win their 63rd game, guaranteeing that they would not lose 100 games in 2007. The victory ended the team's string of three consecutive seasons of 100 losses or more from 2004-2006.

2008

Kansas City's 2008 season began with the team searching for its new manager after the departure of Buddy Bell. Early candidates to succeed Bell included Royals bench coach Billy Doran, ^[7] former Royals stars George Brett (Brett denied his intentions) and Frank White, and Triple-A Omaha manager Mike Jirschele. Former Major League managers such as Joe Girardi, Jim Fregosi, Ken Macha, and Jimy Williams. Atlanta Braves coaches Terry Pendleton and Brian Snitker were also in consideration. ^[8]. On October 19, the Royals hired Trey Hillman, former manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters and minor league manager of the New York Yankees, to be the 15th manager in franchise history. ^[9]

2008 also began with the release of fan favorite Mike Sweeney, who had numerous injuries over the past five seasons and had declined in production. Angel Berroa was traded to the Dodgers for minor leaguer Juan Rivera on June 6, 2008. The acquisition of Jose Guillen, just like Gil Meche in 2007, was meant to be a boost to the young ball club. During the season many players from the minors came up and made their presence felt including Ryan Shealy, Mitch Maier and Mike Aviles.

As part of the Royals' "New. Blue. Tradition." motto, the Royals introduced a new rendition of their classic powder blue uniforms for the 2008 season. The team will wear the uniforms as alternates in weekend home games. The Royals previously wore powder blue uniforms from 1973 to 1991 in away games, and in 2008, the Royals wore powder blue for the first time ever at Kauffman Stadium. ^[10] The uniforms were introduced on December 6, 2007 at a special event for season ticket holders and were modeled by current players such as Alex Gordon and former players such as Frank White.

The Royals finished the 2008 season with a 75–87 record, the franchise's best since 2003. Closing pitcher Joakim Soria, the Royals' lone representative in the 2008 MLB All-Star Game, finished the year with 42 saves.

Rivalries and fan base

Historically, one of the Royals' major rivalries was with the New York Yankees. The rivalry stems largely from the period between 1976 and 1980, when both teams were in top form and met four times in five years for the American League Championship Series. An older factor in Kansas City-New York relations is the "special relationship" between the Yankees and the Kansas City A's during the 1950s, in which Kansas City's best players (such as Roger Maris and Ralph Terry) were repeatedly sent to New York with little compensation. The Royals' recent lack of success, however, as well as the Yankees' more popular and historic rivalry with the Boston Red Sox has caused this rivalry to lose its prominence. Also of note are division rivalries with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Minnesota Twins. In the early 2000s, Detroit and Kansas City had a number of bench clearing brawls. Also notable among these are the Minnesota Twins' fans, who travel well and make a more balanced and divided crowd when the Twins visit Kansas City.

Forgotten in recent years is the old division rivalry between the Royals and the Oakland Athletics. In the early 1970s, Oakland won three World Series titles from 1972-1974, and after the A's left Kansas City under less than honorable terms, a strong rivalry existed between the two teams during this period. This was soon forgotten by the late 1970s when the Royals came to prominence and the terrific rivalry with New York began. Also strong in the late 70s was the rivalry against the California Angels, particularly in the fights for the American League West pennant in 1979.

The Royals' most prominent rivalry is with the intrastate St. Louis Cardinals, stemming back to the Royals' victory over the Cardinals in the 1985 World Series. The series is still a source of contention among fans, notably the controversial call in the bottom of the ninth of game 6 in which Jorge Orta was called safe on a play that replays later showed him out. A Royals rally let them tie and later win the game and then later the series.

Interleague play in 1997 allowed the I-70 Series to be revived in non-exhibition games. The first few seasons of the series were rather even, with the Cardinals holding a slight advantage with a 14–13 record through the 2003 season. Through the 2009 season, the Cardinals hold the series advantage 33–24. St. Louis won five of six meetings in 2009, taking two of three May 22-24 at St. Louis and sweeping the Royals June 19-21 at Kansas City.

Baseball Hall of Famers

Ford C. Frick Award recipients

Other players of note

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

Kansas City Royals in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
Number	Player	Position	Tenure
2	Fred Patek	Shortstop	1971—1979
5	George Brett	Third baseman	1973—1993
6	Willie Wilson	Outfielder	1976—1990
11	Hal McRae	Outfielder/Designated hitter/Manager	1973—1987 1991—1994
16	Bo Jackson	Outfielder	1987—1990
20	Frank White	Second baseman	1973—1990
22	Dennis Leonard	Starting pitcher	1974—1986
29	Dan Quisenberry	Relief pitcher	1979—1988
34	Paul Splittorff	Starting pitcher	1970—1984
36	Gaylord Perry	Starting pitcher	1983

Retired numbers

George Brett 3B: 1973-93 Retired 1994	Dick Howser M: 1981-86 Retired 1987	Frank White 2B: 1973-90 Retired 1995	Jackie Robinson Retired by all of MLB Retired 1997

The Royals have retired the numbers of former players George Brett (#5) and Frank White (#20). Former manager Dick Howser's number (#10) was retired following his death in 1987. Former Brooklyn Dodgers player Jackie Robinson's number (#42) is retired throughout Major League Baseball.

Royals Hall of Fame

Listed by year of induction:

1986

40 Steve Busby, SP
26 Amos Otis, CF

1987

10 Dick Howser, Manager
1 Cookie Rojas, 2B
34 Paul Splittorff, SP

1989

22 Dennis Leonard, SP
11 Hal McRae, DH

1992

Joe Burke, GM and President
32 Larry Gura, SP
2 Freddie Patek, SS

1993

Ewing Kauffman, owner and tributary of name of Kauffman Stadium

1995

20 Frank White, 2B

1996

Muriel Kauffman, executive and wife of Ewing
7 John Mayberry, 1B

1998

29 Dan Quisenberry, RP

1999

5 George Brett, 3B

2000

24 Whitey Herzog, Manager
6 Willie Wilson, CF

2003

21 Jeff Montgomery, RP

2004

Denny Matthews, radio announcer

2005

18 Bret Saberhagen, SP

2006

23 Mark Gubicza, SP

2008

Art Stewart, scout

400px

Current roster

40-man roster

Spring Training
non-roster invitees

Coaches/other

Pitchers

49 John Bale (baseball)
19 Brian Bannister
-- Henry Barrera
28 Kyle Davies
-- Kyle Farnsworth
41 Jimmy Gobble
23 Zack Greinke
44 Luke Hochevar
52 Devon Lowery
32 Ron Mahay
55 Gil Meche
58 Neal Musser
57 Joel Peralta
-- Julio Cesar Pimentel
-- Horacio Ramírez
53 Carlos Rosa
48 Joakim Soria
51 Robinson Tejeda
-- Doug Waechter

Catchers

14 John Buck (baseball)
21 Miguel Olivo
-- Brayan Peña

Infielders

30 Mike Aviles
13 Alberto Callaspo
3 Estéban Germán
7 Ross Gload
4 Alex Gordon
-- Mike Jacobs (first baseman)
25 Kila Ka'aihue
39 Mario Lisson
1 Tony Peña, Jr.
43 Ryan Shealy

Outfielders

45 Shane Costa
-- Coco Crisp
9 David DeJesus
11 José Guillén
35 Mitch Maier
24 Mark Teahen

Designated hitters

16 Billy Butler (baseball)

Pitchers

-- Jairo Cuevas
-- Lenny DiNardo
31 Brandon Duckworth
-- Tim Hamulack
34 Luke Hudson
-- Franquelis Osoria
-- Heath Phillips
-- Óscar Villarreal
61 Matt Wright (baseball)

Catchers

-- J. R. House
-- Matt Tupman

Infielders

-- Luis Hernández (baseball)
-- Corey Smith (baseball)

Outfielders

-- Tommy Murphy (baseball)

Manager

22 Trey Hillman

Coaches

60 Bill Duplissea (bullpen catcher)
-- John Gibbons (bench)
18 Rusty Kuntz (first base)
33 Bob McClure (pitching)
50 John Mizerock (bullpen)
6 Dave Owen (third base)
-- Kevin Seitzer (hitting)

* Not on active roster
† 15-day disabled list
updated 2008-12-18
•

Managers

Name	Years	Won	Lost	Winning %	Games	Post Season
Joe Gordon	1969	69	93	.426	162	-
Charlie Metro	1970	19	33	.365	52	-
Bob Lemon	1970–1972	207	218	.487	425	-
Jack McKeon	1973–1975	215	205	.512	420	-
Whitey Herzog	1975–1979	410	304	.574	714	1976, 1977, 1978
Jim Frey	1980–1981	127	105	.547	232	1980
Dick Howser	1981–1986	404	365	.525	770	1981, 1984, *1985*
Mike Ferraro†	1986	36	38	.486	74	-
Billy Gardner	1987	62	64	.492	126	-
John Wathan	1987–1991	287	270	.515	557	-
Bob Schaefer†	1991	1	0	1.00	1	-
Hal McRae	1991–1994	286	277	.508	563	-
Bob Boone	1995–1997	181	206	.468	387	-
Tony Muser	1997–2002	317	431	.424	748	-
John Mizerock†	2002	5	8	.385	13	-
Tony Peña	2002–2005	198	285	.410	483	-
Bob Schaefer†	2005	5	12	.294	17	-
Buddy Bell	2005–2007	174	262	.390	436	-
Trey Hillman	2008–present	75	87	.460	162	-
All statistics through the conclusion of the 2008 MLB season † Interim manager American League championships in italics , World Series championships in bold .

Minor league affiliations

AAA: Omaha Royals, Pacific Coast League
AA: Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Texas League
Advanced A: Wilmington Blue Rocks, Carolina League
A: Burlington Bees, Midwest League
Rookie: AZL Royals, Arizona League
Rookie: Burlington Royals, Appalachian League
Rookie: Idaho Falls Chukars, Pioneer League
Rookie: DSL Royals, Dominican Summer League

Season records

Highest Batting Average: .390, George Brett (1980)
Most Games: 162, Al Cowens (1977), Hal McRae (1977) and Carlos Beltran (2002)
Most Runs: 136, Johnny Damon (2000)
Most Hits: 230, Willie Wilson (1980)
Highest Slugging %: .664, George Brett (1980)
Most Doubles: 54, Hal McRae (1977)
Most Triples: 21, Willie Wilson (1985)
Most Home Runs: 36, Steve Balboni (1985)
Most Grand Slams: 3, Danny Tartabull (1988)
Most RBIs: 144, Mike Sweeney (2000)
Most Stolen Bases: 83, Willie Wilson (1979)
Most Wins: 23, Bret Saberhagen (1989)
Lowest ERA: 2.08, Roger Nelson (1972)
Strikeouts: 244, Dennis Leonard (1977)
Most Strikeouts, Single Game: 15, Zack Greinke (2009)
Complete Games: 21, Dennis Leonard (1977)
Saves: 45, Dan Quisenberry (1983) and Jeff Montgomery (1993)

Radio and television

s of }} 2008 , the Royals will carry games on KCSP 610AM and KMBZ 980AM depending on scheduling. ^[11] Most games are expected to be on KCSP, however. The stations replace WHB, which chose not to renew, and KCXM, now a Christian radio station (as KLRX). The radio announcers will be Denny Matthews and Bob Davis, with Steve Stewart and possibly Ryan Lefebvre doing fill-in work. ^[12]

Meanwhile, the Royals have shut down Royals Sports Television Network, and the full television schedule of 140 games will air on FSN Kansas City, a newly-created branch of FSN Midwest, leaving no over-the-air broadcast outlet for the Royals this season. The announcers there will be Lefebvre, Paul Splittorff, and Frank White. Frank White fills in for Splittorff on a few games. ^[13]

On February 22, 2007, Matthews was selected as the 2007 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for major contributions to baseball broadcasting. ^[14]

In 2009, 99 games will be broadcast on FSKC HD being the highest total of Kansas City Royals games produced in HD to date ^[15]

Mascot

Sluggerrr is the mascot of the Royals. Sluggerrr is a lion and made his first appearance on April 5, 1996. On game day, Sluggerrr can be found pitching in the "Little K" and firing hot dogs from an air cannon into the stands between innings.