Kansas City Royals

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. Since 1973, 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. The "Royals" name may also have been selected as a respectful recognition of the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues and a nod to the Kansas City Blues franchises of the Western League and American Association. This is reflected in the similarity of the Royals logo to that of the Monarchs. The name also followed a theme of the other professional franchises in the city, including the Kansas City Chiefs football team and the-then Kansas City Kings basketball franchise.

Entering the American League as an expansion franchise in 1969, along with the Seattle Pilots, 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.

The new team quickly became a powerhouse, appearing in the playoffs 7 out of 10 seasons from 1976 to 1985, including one World Series championship and another pennant, led by stars such as George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson and Bret Saberhagen. The team remained competitive throughout the mid-1990s, but have had only one winning season since 1994.

The 2012 Season marks the third time the Major League Baseball All-Star Game has been played in Kansas City, with Kauffman Stadium (then named Royals Stadium) last hosting the event in 1973, the stadium's first year of existence. The event was also held at Municipal Stadium in 1960, when the Athletics were still based there. The 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was hosted by the team on July 10, 2012.

1969–79: 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. The 1981 Royals as of 2012 are the only team to qualify for the postseason despite having a losing record. 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 two-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 AL President 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.

Despite this incident, the 1983 season was also notable for some transitional changes. First, owner Ewing Kauffman sold 49% of his interest to Memphis developer Avron Fogelman. Second, John Schuerholz was named general manager. He would bolster the farm system with pitchers Bud Black, Danny Jackson, Mark Gubicza, David Cone, and Bret Saberhagen, as well as hitters such as Kevin Seitzer.

Thanks to the sudden and surprising maturation of most of the aforementioned players (specifically the pitching), the Royals won their fifth division championship in 1984, relying on Brett's bat and the young pitching staff of Saberhagen, Gubicza, Charlie Leibrandt, Black and 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 three-games-to-one in the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Royals eventually rallied to win the series 4–3.

1985 World Series
In the 1985 World Series against the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals (nicknamed 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. However, the Royals gave this out back later when Orta was thrown out at 2nd after a botched sacrifice bunt.

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 pitching and defense came undone in Game 7 and their offense was shut down by Saberhagen leading to the lowest batting average to date (.188 by the Cardinals, later broken by 2001 Yankees) and fewest runs (13 for the Cardinals, still stands) of any team in a 7 game series, and the Royals won 11–0 to clinch the franchise's only World Series title. The Royals are the only team to win a 7-game League Championship Series and a 7-game World Series in the same year.

"The Curse of the Baseball Abstract"
The baseball statistical anaylst Bill James wrote a chapter in the 1986 edition of his Baseball Abstract titled "A History of being a Kansas City Royals Baseball Fan." In the style of an opinion piece as a longtime Royals fan, rather than in his usual analytical tone, James commented that "The truth is, the Royals kicked the holy crap out of the Cardinals" in the 1985 series. The chapter asserts that it was the Cardinals' overconfidence and the Royals' ability to engage the Cardinals in "a conservative game of baseball chess," not simply Denkinger's controversial call, that led to the Cardinals' collapse, "leaving any other arguments...cutting little or no ice."

Since James's comments in the book, the Royals have not made a single appearance in post-season baseball. Many reasons besides one fan's hubris and a Cubs-style billy-goat curse exist for the Royals' lack of success, including their status as a "small-market team" without the budget or broadcast revenue to attract and keep playing talent. The timing of James's comments in the 1986 Abstract, juxtaposed with the beginning of the Royals' postseason drought, however, remains clear.

1986–94: Staying in the picture
Kansas City maintained their reputation as one of the American League West's top contenders throughout the late 1980s. The club posted a winning record in three of the last four seasons following their World Series championship season while developing young stars such as Bo Jackson, Tom Gordon, and Kevin Seitzer. The Royals finished the 1989 season with a 92–70 record (third best in the major leagues) but did not qualify for the playoffs. Though by the close of the 1989 season the team boasted a powerhouse bullpen in the AL Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen (set franchise record with 23 wins in 1989), two time All-Star Mark Gubicza (15 game winner in 1989) and 1989 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Tom Gordon (won 17 games in 1989), the organization felt they were still missing a few pieces that would give the divisional rivals Oakland Athletics a run for their money.

The Royals were left without a caliber closing pitcher when Dan Quisenberry, the team's All-Star ace closer for much of the 1980s, was dropped from the club in 1988. Mark Davis, the 1989 league leader in saves (44) and boasting a 1.85 earned run average while earning the 1989 National League Cy Young winner and back-to-back All-Star selections (1988, 1989) with the San Diego Padres, became a free agent at the close of the 1989 season. After several attempts to acquire Davis, the organization was ultimately successful in signing him to a four-year $13 million contract (the largest annual salary in baseball history at the time) on December 11, 1989. Several days earlier, the Royals bulked up their bullpen by inking starting pitcher Storm Davis, who was enjoying a career-high 19 game win record (third best in the AL) with the Athletics in 1989, on a three-year $6 million contract. With a solid pitching rotation, which was now ranked among the best in the league, the team traded for 1988 All-Star first baseman Gerald Perry and signed yet another free agent with veteran right-hander Richard Dotson. Kansas City concluded a milestone off-season in 1989–1990 as its biggest commitment to free agents in the club's entire history. Despite the promising off-season moves, the team suffered critical bullpen injuries while the newly signed Davis hurlers both experienced lackluster performances throughout the 1990 campaign. The Royals concluded the season with a 75-86 finish and second-to-last place standing in the AL West (worst franchise record since 1970). To make matters worse Bo Jackson, the team's future franchise player, suffered a devastating hip injury while playing football in the off-season. Believing Jackson would be out of commission for the upcoming 1991 season and possibly longer, the team waived the home run king during spring training. Though the team would bounce back with winning records during the next several years, the disastrous season would symbolically come to mark the beginning of the end of Kansas City's relevance in professional baseball.

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: Decline in the post-Kauffman era
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. Shortly before Kauffman's death, he set up an unprecedented complex succession plan to keep the team in Kansas City. The team was donated at his death to the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and Affiliated Trusts with operating decisions of the team decided by a five member group chaired by Wal-Mart executive David Glass. According to the plan the Royals had six years to find a local owner for the team before opening ownership to an outside bidder. The new owners would be required to say they would keep the team in Kansas City. Kauffman had feared that new owners would move it noting, "No one would want to buy a baseball team that consistently loses millions of dollars and had little prospect of making money because it was in a small city." If no owner could be found the Kauffman restrictions were to end on January 1, 2002 and the team was to be sold to the highest bidder. In 1999, New York City lawyer and minor league baseball owner Miles Prentice, vowing not to move the team, bid $75 million for the team. This was the minimum amount Kauffman had stipulated the team could be sold for. MLB rejected Prentice's first bid without specifying any reason. In a final round of bids on March 13, 2000, the Foundation voted to accept Glass' bid of $96 million, rejecting Prentice's revised bid of $115 million.

During the interregnum under Foundation ownership, the team declined. In 1994 season, the Royals reduced 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 had previously remained among the league's highest, was sliced in half from $40.5 million in 1994 (fourth-highest in the major leagues) to $18.5 million in 1996 (second-lowest in the major leagues).

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. By 1999, the team's payroll had fallen again to $16.5 million. 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. The Milwaukee Brewers made the switch instead.

2002–09: 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 team to its first winning record (83–79) since 1994 and finished in third place in the AL Central. He was named the American League Manager of the Year for his efforts and shortstop Ángel Berroa was named AL Rookie of the Year.

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 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, losing 104 games and breaking the franchise record set just two years earlier. The Royals did, however, see promising seasons from two rookies, center fielder David DeJesus and starting pitcher Zack Greinke. The team continued a youth movement in 2005, but finished with a 56–106 record (.346), a full 43 games out of first place, marking the third time in four seasons that the team reestablished the mark for worst record in franchise history The season also saw the Royals lose a franchise record 19 games in a row. 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. During the season Baird was fired as GM and replaced by Dayton Moore.

Kansas City entered the 2007 season looking to rebound from four out of five seasons ending with at least 100 losses. The Royals 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 team also added several new prospects, including Alex Gordon and Billy Butler. Among Dayton Moore's first acts as General Manager was instating a new motto for the team: "True. Blue. Tradition." In June 2007, the Royals had their first winning month since July 2003, and followed it up with a winning July. The Royals finished the season 69-93, but 2007 marked the club's first season with fewer than 100 losses since 2003. Manager Buddy Bell resigned following the 2007 season.



The Royals hired Trey Hillman, formerly the manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters and a minor league manager with the New York Yankees, to be the 15th manager in franchise history. The 2008 season began with the release of fan favorite Mike Sweeney and the trade of Ángel Berroa to the Dodgers. Through 13 games in 2008, the Royals were 8–5 and in first place in the AL Central, a vast improvement over their start from the previous season. However, by the All-Star break, the Royals were again in losing territory, with their record buoyed only by a 13–5 record in interleague play, the best in the American League. The team finished the season in fourth place with a 75–87 record.

Prior to the 2009 season, the Royals renovated Kauffman Stadium. After the season began, the Royals ended April at the top of the AL Central, all of which raised excitement levels among fans. However, the team faded as the season progressed and finished the year with a final record of 65–97, in a fourth place tie in its division. The season was highlighted by starter Zack Greinke, who did not allow an earned run in the first 24 innings of the season, went on to finish the year with a Major League-leading 2.16 earned run average, and won the American League Cy Young award. Greinke joined Bret Saberhagen (in 1985 and 1989) and David Cone (in 1994) as the only three players in Royals history to receive the award.

2010–Present: The Yost era
The Royals began the 2010 season with a rocky start, and after the team's record fell to 12–23, manager Trey Hillman was fired. Former Milwaukee Brewers skipper Ned Yost took over as manager. At the end of the 2010 season, the Royals finished with a 67–95 record, in last place in the division for the sixth time in seven years. The Royals also set a dubious franchise record during the season, allowing 42 runs in a three-day span from July 25 to July 27. The Royals began 2011 with a hot start with a 10-4 record after 14 games, but success faded as the season progressed. The Royals last had a .500 record at 22-22, and by the All-Star break, the Royals had a record of 37-54, the worst in the American League. 2011 marked the year that the "Process" (patiently collecting prospects) unraveled. Almost all of the Royals' bullpen was called up in 2011 and the call up of the infielders Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Manny Piña, Johnny Giavotella, and Salvador Pérez. Hosmer won the AL Rookie of the Month award in July and September and Moustakas collected a fifteen game hitting streak, which tied the largest such streak by a Royal rookie. The Royals finished 2011 at 71-91. The 2012 team saw more of the same, as they improved by one game to 72-90. During the 2012 season, the Royals hosted the All-Star game, which was won by the National League 8-0. On December 10, in an attempt to strengthen the pitching staff (which was among the worst in baseball in 2012), the Royals traded for Rays pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis for Royals top prospect Wil Myers and three others.

St. Louis Cardinals
The Royals' most prominent rivalry is with the intrastate St. Louis Cardinals, beginning with Royals' successes in the early '80's and fueled by 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 2010 season, the Cardinals hold the series advantage 34–26. The Royals took two out of three from the Cardinals in 2010 behind victories from starting pitchers Zack Greinke and Bruce Chen, but followed with only two wins in six games in 2011 and in 2012.

Historical/Divisional Rivalries
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. The Detroit Tigers swept the Royals in the 1984 playoff season, and in the early 2000s, Detroit and Kansas City had a number of bench clearing brawls. In recent years the rivalry with Minnesota has become more prominent, with the Twins' consistent standings atop the division, as well as the relatively short drive between the two clubs in which many fans from Minnesota make the trip and heavily populate Royals home games versus the Twins. Previously, the Twins had narrowly beat out the Royals for the 1987 American League West pennant, in which the Twins later took the World Series versus the St. Louis Cardinals.

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 rivalry with New York began. Also strong in the late 70s (and continuing through the mid 80s) was the rivalry against the California Angels, particularly in the fights for the American League West pennant in 1978, '79, '82, '84 and '85.

Retired numbers
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

1994
 * 5 George Brett, 3B

1995
 * 20 Frank White, 2B

1996
 * Muriel Kauffman, executive and wife of Ewing
 * 7 John Mayberry, 1B

1998
 * 29 Dan Quisenberry, RP

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

2011
 * Kevin Appier, SP

2012
 * George Toma, grounds keeper

Season records

 * Highest Batting Average: .390, George Brett (1980)
 * Most Games: 162, Al Cowens (1977), Hal McRae (1977) and Carlos Beltrán (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
, the Royals affiliate radio station is KCSP 610AM, the station having entered into a four-year deal starting from the 2012 season. The radio announcers are Denny Matthews and Bob Davis, with Steve Stewart and Steve Physioc.

Televised games are aired on FSN Kansas City, a branch of FSN Midwest. For the 2012 season, Ryan Lefebvre will be joined by Jeff Montgomery for about 20 games while the rest of the broadcasts will be covered by former Angels announcer duo of Rex Hudler and Steve Physioc.

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.

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 giving aggressive encouragement to players and fans, pitching in the "Little K", and firing hot dogs from an air cannon into the stands between innings.