Kansas City Royals

Information about Kansas City Royals













Kansas City Royals
Established 1969

Team Logo

Cap Insignia
Major league affiliations
Current uniform
Retired Numbers5, 10, 20, 42
Name
  • Kansas City Royals (1969–present)
Other nicknames
  • The Boys in Blue
Ballpark
Major league titles
World Series titles (1)1985
AL Pennants (2)1985 • 1980
Central Division titles (0)None
West Division titles (6) [1]1985 • 1984 • 1980 • 1978
1977 • 1976
Wild card berths (0)None


[1] In 1981, a players' strike in the middle of the season forced the season to be split into two halves. Kansas City won the division in the second half, but lost the division playoff to the Athletics. The Royals finished three games under .500 and had only the fourth best record in the division when considering the entire season, eleven games behind the A's, Texas and Chicago.
Owner(s): David Glass
Manager: Trey Hillman
General Manager: Dayton Moore
The Kansas City Royals are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium.

The "Royals" name originates from the Americal Royal Livestock Show, held in Kansas City since 1899.

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, who demanded a new franchise for the city after the Athletics—Kansas City's first major league team—moved to Oakland, California.

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 good 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 guiding them to a second-place finish. In 1973, under 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 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.

1980-1984: From pennant to pine tar

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.

In the 1980 ALCS, the Royals finally vanquished the Yankees in a three-game sweep punctuated by a George Brett home run off Yankees' star closer Goose Gossage. However, 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 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 July. In the Pine Tar Incident, umpires discovered a substantial amount of pine tar on third baseman George Brett's bat after he had hit a home run. The umpires immediately disallowed the home run and ejected Brett, who stormed out of the dugout to argue his defense. The 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 of Bret Saberhagen, Mark Gubicza, Charlie Leibrandt, Bud Black and Danny Jackson, although they were swept by the eventual World Series champion Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series.

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


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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 improbably 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.
Enlarge picture
George Brett and Bret Saberhagen embrace as the Kansas City Royals win their only World Championship (1985).
In the 1985 World Series against the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals – the so-called "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 Six. 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 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 Six, the Cardinals came undone in Game Seven, 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, through the strike-shortened 1994 season, the Royals still could generally be counted on to post winning records.

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 was sliced from $40.5 million in 1994 to $18.5 million in 1996.[1]

As attendance slid and the average MLB salary continued to rise, the Royals found it difficult to retain their remaining stars, and the club traded players such as Kevin Appier, Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye for prospects rather than pay higher salaries or lose them to free agency. 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.

2002-2006: Rock bottom

In 2002, the Royals set a new team record for futility, losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history.

The 2003 season saw a temporary end to the losing, when manager Tony Peña, in his first full season with the club, improbably guided the Royals to their first winning record since the 1994 season. He was named the American League Manager of the Year for his efforts.

Picked by many to win their division in 2004 after faring surprisingly well in the free agent market, the Royals got off to a disappointing start and by late June again were in 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.

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 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 in the first game, were shut out 11-0 by Oakland in the second game, 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.

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.[2]

2007–present: "True. Blue. Tradition."

During the 2006 offseason, Kansas City appeared to be opening up its wallet. 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. 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. [3] The Royals also ditched their black and sleeveless jerseys, instead reviving their "old" jerseys from years past, although the powder blue jerseys have yet to return since being retired following the 1991 season. [3] Kansas City entered the 2007 season looking to rebound from four out of five seasons ending with at least 100 losses.

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.[4]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 of more from 2004-2006.

Early candidates to succeed Bell included bench coach Billy Doran,[5] former Royals stars George Brett (Brett denied his intentions) and Frank White,[5] and Triple-A Omaha manager Mike Jirschele. Former Major League managers such as Joe Girardi,[5][5] Jim Fregosi,[5] Ken Macha,[5] and Jimy Williams.[5] Atlanta Braves coaches Terry Pendleton and Brian Snitker are also in consideration.[6]. However, on October 19, they announced that the new manager would be Trey Hillman.

Players of note

Main article: Kansas City Royals roster

Baseball Hall of Fame

Two individuals have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame based primarily upon their service with the Royals: Three other Hall of Famers briefly wore Royal blue, all at the end of their careers:

Retired numbers

Royals Hall of Fame

Listed by year of induction:

1986 1987 1989 1992

1993 1994 1995 1996 1998

2000 2003 2004 2005 2006

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

Current roster

Kansas City Royals roster
    [ edit]
Active (25-man) rosterInactive (40-man) rosterCoaches/Other
Starting rotation Bullpen † 15-day disabled list
Roster updated 2007-09-04
TransactionsDepth Chart
Catchers Infielders Outfielders Designated hitters Pitchers
  • 59 Daniel Christensen
  • 36 Jorge de la Rosa
  • -- Paul Mildren
  • 45 Odalis Prez
  • 53 Carlos Rosa
Infielders
  • 13 Andrs Blanco
Outfielders
Manager Coaches 60-day disabled list Suspended list
  • Currently vacant

Managers

Name Years Won Lost Winning % Games Post Season
Joe Gordon19696993.426162-
Charlie Metro19701933.36552-
Bob Lemon1970–72207218.487425-
Jack McKeon1973–75215205.512420-
Whitey Herzog1975–79410304.5747141976, 1977, 1978
Jim Frey1980–81127105.5472321980
Dick Howser1981–86404365.5257701981, 1984, 1985
Mike Ferraro*19863638.48674-
Billy Gardner19876264.492126-
John Wathan1987–91287270.515557-
Bob Schaefer*1991101.001-
Hal McRae1991–94286277.508563-
Bob Boone1995–97181206.468387-
Tony Muser1997–2002317431.424748-
John Mizerock*200258.38513-
Tony Peña2002–05198285.410483-
Bob Schaefer*2005512.29417-
Buddy Bell2005–07174262.390436-
*Interim manager
‡Record through 2007 season

Minor league affiliations

Season records

Season Won Lost % GB Finish Attendance Average Playoffs
American League West Division
19696993.426284th902,41411,005-
19706597.401334th (tied)693,0478,773-
19718576.528162nd910,78411,244-
19727678.49416½4th707,6569,190-
19738874.54362nd1,345,34116,609-
19747785.475135th1,173,29214,485-
19759171.56272nd1,151,83614,220-
19769072.556+2½1st1,680,26520,744Lost 1976 ALCS 2-3 (Yankees)
197710260.630+81st1,852,60322,872Lost 1977 ALCS 2-3 (Yankees)
19789270.567+51st2,255,49327,846Lost 1978 ALCS 1-3 (Yankees)
19798577.52532nd2,261,84527,924-
19809765.599+141st2,288,71428,256Won 1980 ALCS 3-0 (Yankees)
Lost 1980 World Series 2-4 (Phillies)
198120
30
50
30
23
53
.400
.556
.485
12
+1
11
5th (1st half)
1st (2nd half)
4th (overall)
1,279,40327,221Lost 1981 ALDS 0-3 (Athletics)
19829072.55632nd2,284,46428,203-
19837983.488202nd1,963,87523,950-
19848478.519+31st1,810,01822,346Lost 1984 ALCS 0-3 (Tigers)
19859171.562+11st2,162,71726,375Won 1985 ALCS 4-3 (Blue Jays)
Won 1985 World Series 4-3 (Cardinals)
19867686.469163rd (tied)2,320,79428,652-
19878379.51222nd2,392,47129,537-
19888477.52219½3rd2,350,18129,377-
19899270.56872nd2,477,70030,589-
19907586.46627½6th2,244,95627,716-
19918280.506136th2,161,53726,686-
19927290.444245th (tied)1,867,68923,058-
19938478.519103rd1,934,57823,884-
American League Central Division
19946451.55743rd1,400,49423,737-
19957074.486302nd1,233,53017,132-
19967586.466245th1,435,99717,950-
19976794.41619½5th1,517,63818,970-
19987289.44716½3rd1,494,87518,686-
19996497.39832½4th1,506,06818,826-
20007785.475184th1,564,84719,319-
20016597.401265th1,536,37118,968-
200262100.38332½4th1,323,03417,182-
20038379.51273rd1,779,89522,819-
200458104.358345th1,661,47821,031-
200556106.346435th1,371,18117,357-
200662100.383345th1,372,68417,158-
20076993.426275th1,616,86719,961- !Totals||3,003||3,176||.486|| || || || ||

Radio and television

As of 2007, the Royals will carry games on both WHB 810AM and KCXM 97.3FM, depending on the game schedule. All day games and most early-evening starts will air on WHB, with later-starting games, especially those on the West Coast, carried on KCXM (because WHB has a very weak signal at night, due to conflicts with clear channel outlets KGO, San Francisco and WGY, Schenectady). The Royals' official flagship radio station is currently WHB, but starting in 2008 radio rights will once again head back over to Entercom and air on both KMBZ and KCSP depending on scheduling conflicts. [1]

Television broadcasts are seen on RSTN, the Royals Sports Television Network. RSTN is an in-house service launched by the Royals in 2003. In 2007, some games will also be seen on Metro Sports, a local cable channel, and local independent station KMCI. Games will not be seen in 2007 on an alternate feed of Fox Sports Net, however FSN Midwest will become the television home of the Royals again, beginning in 2008. [2]

The radio announcers are Denny Matthews and Ryan Lefebvre; the TV team is Paul Splittorff and Bob Davis. 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. [3]

See also

References

1. ^ [4]
2. ^ [5]
3. ^ Flanagan, Jeffrey. Royals reach to past with newest slogan Kansas City Star, 28 February 2007.
4. ^ Bell stepping down as Royals skipper
5. ^ Dutton, Bob. Finding a manager tops Royals' offseason checklist Kansas City Star, 1 October 2007.
6. ^ Dutton, Bob. [6] Kansas City Star, 1 Aug 2007

External links



Preceded by
Detroit Tigers
1984
World Series Champions
Kansas City Royals

1985
Succeeded by
New York Mets
1986


Preceded by
Baltimore Orioles
1979
American League Champions
Kansas City Royals

1980
Succeeded by
New York Yankees
1981
Preceded by
Detroit Tigers
1984
American League Champions
Kansas City Royals

1985
Succeeded by
Boston Red Sox
1986
The following are the baseball events of the year 1969 throughout the world.   This year in baseball
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The American League (or formally the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States of America and Canada.
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The following are the baseball events of the year 1969 throughout the world.   This year in baseball
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The American League Central is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division was formed in the 1994 realignment. Its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States.
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George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953 in Glen Dale, West Virginia) is a former Major League Baseball player for the Kansas City Royals. He is considered one of the greatest third basemen in Major League Baseball history.
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As Player
  • Kansas City Athletics (1961-1963)
  • Cleveland Indians (1963-1966)
  • New York Yankees (1967-1968)
As Manager
  • New York Yankees (1980)
  • Kansas City Royals (1981-1986)
Career Highlights and Awards

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    Frank White, Jr. (born September 4, 1950 in Greenville, Mississippi) is a former Major League Baseball player, and coach for the Kansas City Royals and their AA affiliate, the Wichita Wranglers. He currently works in the Royals front office.
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    Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) became the first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era in 1947.[1]
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    The following are the baseball events of the year 1969 throughout the world.   This year in baseball
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    Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium (formerly Royals Stadium) is a Major League Baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the Kansas City Royals of the American League.
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    Kansas City Municipal Stadium was a baseball and football stadium that formerly stood in Kansas City, Missouri. It hosted the minor league Kansas City Blues of the American Association from 1923 to 1954, the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues during most of the same time,
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    The following are the baseball events of the year 1969 throughout the world.   This year in baseball
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    The 1981 Major League Baseball strike was the fifth work stoppage in Major League Baseball since the 1972 Major League Baseball strike. [1] The strike began on June 12 and forced the cancellation of 713 games (or 38 percent of the Major League schedule) in the middle of
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    Oakland Athletics Established 1901 Based in Oakland since

    Team Logo Cap Insignia
    Major league affiliations
    • American League (1901–present)

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    Texas Rangers Established 1961 Based in Arlington since 1972

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    Chicago White Sox Established 1900

    Team Logo Cap Insignia
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    • American League (1901–present)
    • Central Division (1994–present)

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    David Glass may be any of the following:
    • David Glass (businessman)
    • David Glass (demographer)
    • David Glass (politician)

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    Thomas Brad "Trey" Hillman (born January 4, 1963 in Amarillo, Texas) is a former minor league baseball manager, and current manager of the Kansas City Royals. Hillman was formerly with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the Japanese professional leagues.
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    Dayton Moore is the general manager of the Kansas City Royals. He succeeded Allard Baird.

    A native of Wichita, Kansas, Moore grew up a Royals fan. He claims to have watched the 1985 World Series in Kansas City from I-70.
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    Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system.
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    Kansas City is two cities and a metropolitan area situated at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers. The combined population of Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas is 594,173 as of the 2000 census.
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    State of Missouri

    Flag of Missouri Seal
    Nickname(s): The Show Me State
    ''
    Motto(s): Salus populi suprema lex esto
    Before Statehood Known as
    The Missouri Territory

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    The American League Central is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division was formed in the 1994 realignment. Its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States.
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    Sport Baseball
    Founded 1876
    No. of teams 30
    Country(ies)  United States
     Canada

    Most recent champion(s) St. Louis Cardinals

    TV partner(s) FOX, ESPN, and TBS
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