Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are in the Central Division of the American League.

Franchise history

Birth of the Royals

When the Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland after the 1967 season, Kansas City was left without professional baseball for the first and only time since 1883. An enraged Senator Stuart Symington threatened to introduce legislation removing baseball's antitrust exemption unless Kansas City was granted a team in the next round of expansion. MLB complied during the 1967 winter meetings, awarding one of four expansion teams to Kansas City to start play in 1971. Pharmaceutical executive Ewing Kauffman won the bidding for the new Kansas City team, which he named the Royals after the American Royal Livestock Show, which has been held in Kansas City every year since 1899.

However, Symington was not satisfied and pressured MLB to allow the new teams to start play in 1969. Symington's intervention may have contributed to the collapse of one of the Royals' expansion brethren, the Seattle Pilots, who moved to Milwaukee as the Brewers after only one season.

Taking Off

Early Royals stars included 1969 Rookie of the Year Lou Piniella, Amos Otis, Paul Splittorff, Cookie Rojas and Hal McRae. In 1971, the Royals had their first winning season, with manager Bob Lemon guiding them to a second-place finish.

Glory Days

In 1973, the Royals moved from Kansas City Municipal Stadium to brand-new Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium). The stadium, which featured deep outfield walls and artificial turf, gave future stars such as George Brett and Frank White their first break as many of Kansas City's veteran players had difficulty playing on turf. However, manager Whitey Herzog decided to replace those players (including Vada Pinson) for younger, quicker players (such as Frank White). The Royals quickly became successful, winning three straight division championships from 1976 to 1978 under manager Whitey Herzog. They lost to the New York Yankees in three straight American League Championship Series encounters.

After the Royals finished in 2nd place in 1979, Herzog was fired in favor of Jim Frey. Most believe that the firing was due to Herzog's strained relationship with the Royals front office including General Manager Joe Burke, owner Ewing Kauffman, and Kauffman's wife, Muriel. Under Frey, the Royals made their first World Series appearance in 1980, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. That same year, Brett flirted with a .400 batting average and won his second batting title.

In 1983, the Royals were headed for a second-place finish behind the Chicago White Sox when they were rocked by a drug scandal. Leadoff hitter and center fielder Willie Wilson, power-hitting first baseman Willie Aikens, power-hitting outfielder Jerry Martin, and starting pitcher Vida Blue, who had been released on August 5, were charged with attempting to purchase cocaine. The four were charged in October 1983, pleaded guilty, spent three months in prison (becoming the first active players in sports history to serve a prison sentence) and were suspended by commissioner Bowie Kuhn for the entire 1984 season. The four appealed and were permitted to return on May 15. In response to the scandal, owner Ewing Kauffman founded the Ewing Marion Kauffman foundation to give back to the community, allowed Martin to depart via free agency and traded Aikens, retaining only Wilson's services.

"The I-70 Series": 1985 World Champions

The youth movement paid off more quickly than expected. Relying again on Brett's bat and the young pitching of Bret Saberhagen, Mark Gubicza and Danny Jackson, the Royals won their fifth division championship in 1984 (although they were swept by the eventual World Champion Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series), and went all the way to the World Series again in 1985 under manager Dick Howser, this time beating the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals in the so-called "I-70 Series" (so-called because the two teams are both located in Missouri and connected by Interstate 70)

Since 1985

1987 proved to be a rather bittersweet season for the Royals. The Royals won 83 out of 162 games (a seven win improvement from 1986). The Royals wound up finishing only two games behind the eventual World Champion Minnesota Twins in the Western Division. But on June 17, 1987, Dick Howser died after a year long battle with brain cancer. Howser's #10 soon became the first number that the Royals ever retired.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Royals developed young stars such as Bo Jackson (the baseball & football All-Star) and Kevin Seitzer and made some free-agent acquisitions but always fell short of their early success. Most of the team's highlights 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 Brett's 3,000th hit.

The 1993 death of Ewing Kauffman left the franchise without permanent ownership until Wal-Mart executive David Glass purchased the team for $96 million in 2000. Escalating salaries made it difficult for the Royals to keep their young stars, and the small-market club usually chose to trade players such as Kevin Appier, Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye, for whatever they could get rather than lose them to free agency.

In 2003, manager Tony Peña, in his first full season with the club, guided the Royals to their first winning record since the strike-shortened 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 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.

In 2005, the Royals continued their youth movement, with six of their starting position players, three of their five starting pitchers, and their setup man and closer all under age 30 and one of the smallest payrolls in the Major Leagues. After a disappointing start for the second straight season, Tony Peña resigned as manager on May 10, 2005 after the team posted a miserable 8-25 record. The Royals then named bench coach Bob Schaefer interim manager up until May 31, when Buddy Bell was named the new manager. Schaefer would end up having a 5-12 record in 17 games managed. He was moved back to the bench coach position after Bell's hiring.

As if they could sink any lower, on August 9, the Royals had a 7-2 lead against the Cleveland Indians going into the ninth inning, but committed three errors allowing the Indians to score 11 runs to win 13-7, extending their historic losing streak to 11 games. The Royals ended their losing streak at 19 on August 20, 2005, 2 losses away from the American League record with a 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics. They would have had to lose for fully another week to have a shot at dubious immortality. Unfortunately, they still ended the season 56-106 (.346), a full 43 games out of first place. It was the worst record ever posted in the history of the franchise.

2006

Realizing the need to push forward with rebuilding efforts, ex-general manager Allard Baird became somewhat busy in the 2005 off-season. He secured starting pitcher Mark Redman in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and signed another free agent starter in Scott Elarton. Baird also signed free agent second baseman Mark Grudzielanek (formerly of the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals), as well as first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz (formerly of the New York Mets). Backup catcher Paul Bako (formerly of the Los Angeles Dodgers) was also signed to a contract. These new players were not only obtained in hope of shoring up the pitching rotation and infield but also to create a positive environment in which the younger players in the Royals clubhouse could further hone their skills. Then, on December 23, Baird filled a hole in the outfield by signing veteran Reggie Sanders (another former Cardinal) to a two-year, $10 million deal, and added another pitcher by inking Joe Mays to a one-year pact. Although these additions seemed promising, the effect the players had was minimal in terms of wins for the Royals. Due to a lack of consistency in both pitching and hitting, the Royals continued to struggle in the 2006 season and look to be on the way to another losing season. The main problem cited for the lack of winning seasons for the Royals in the past few years is the lack of financial support by the current owner, David Glass. Glass refuses to spend on player development.

On May 31, 2006, after weeks of speculation, the Royals fired general manager Allard Baird following a major-league worst 13-37 start, and announced that Atlanta Braves assistant general manager Dayton Moore would be the team's new GM. Muzzy Jackson was the interim GM for the Royals, including handling duties during the first-year player draft, until Moore took over on June 8, 2006. Moore did not take over until after the draft because of a conflict of interest, as he had been involved in helping the Braves prepare for the draft.

The Royals also faced controversy off the field, when they revoked the credentials of two radio journalists present at the press conference introducing Moore. The two personalities—Bob Fescoe of WHB and Rhonda Moss of KCSP—primarily asked pointed questions toward Glass over the firing of Baird. The aftermath included less than positive commentary from other media outlets in the metro and a statement from the Society of Professional Journalists calling for the reinstatement of their credentials. In response, the Royals started a Weblog, whose first entry defended the organization's decision.

Season-by-season record

Season	Won	Lost	%	Games Behind	Finish	Attendance	Average	Playoffs
American League West Division
1969	69	93	.426	28	4th	902,414	11,005	-
1970	65	97	.401	33	4th (tied)	693,047	8,773	-
1971	85	76	.528	16	2nd	910,784	11,244	-
1972	76	78	.494	16½	4th	707,656	9,190	-
1973	88	74	.543	6	2nd	1,345,341	16,609	-
1974	77	85	.475	13	5th	1,173,292	14,485	-
1975	91	71	.562	7	2nd	1,151,836	14,220	-
1976	90	72	.556	+2½	1st	1,680,265	20,744	Lost 1976 ALCS 2-3 (Yankees)
1977	102	60	.630	+8	1st	1,852,603	22,872	Lost 1977 ALCS 2-3 (Yankees)
1978	92	70	.567	+5	1st	2,255,493	27,846	Lost 1978 ALCS 1-3 (Yankees)
1979	85	77	.525	3	2nd	2,261,845	27,924	-
1980	97	65	.599	+14	1st	2,288,714	28,256	Won 1980 ALCS 3-0 (Yankees) Lost 1980 World Series 2-4 (Phillies)
1981	20 30 50	30 23 53	.400 .556 .485	12 +1 11	5th (1st half) 1st (2nd half) 4th (overall)	1,279,403	27,221	Lost 1981 ALDS 0-3 (Athletics)
1982	90	72	.556	3	2nd	2,284,464	28,203	-
1983	79	83	.488	20	2nd	1,963,875	23,950	-
1984	84	78	.519	+3	1st	1,810,018	22,346	Lost 1984 ALCS 0-3 (Tigers)
1985	91	71	.562	+1	1st	2,162,717	26,375	Won 1985 ALCS 4-3 (Blue Jays) Won 1985 World Series 4-3 (Cardinals)
1986	76	86	.469	16	3rd (tied)	2,320,794	28,652	-
1987	83	79	.512	2	2nd	2,392,471	29,537	-
1988	84	77	.522	19½	3rd	2,350,181	29,377	-
1989	92	70	.568	7	2nd	2,477,700	30,589	-
1990	75	86	.466	27½	6th	2,244,956	27,716	-
1991	82	80	.506	13	6th	2,161,537	26,686	-
1992	70	92	.432	24	5th (tied)	1,867,689	23,058	-
1993	84	78	.519	10	3rd	1,934,578	23,884	-
American League Central Division
1994	64	51	.557	4	3rd	1,400,494	23,737	-
1995	70	74	.486	30	2nd	1,233,530	17,132	-
1996	75	86	.466	24	5th	1,435,997	17,950	-
1997	67	94	.416	19½	5th	1,517,638	18,970	-
1998	72	89	.447	16½	3rd	1,494,875	18,686	-
1999	64	97	.398	32½	4th	1,506,068	18,826	-
2000	77	85	.475	18	4th	1,564,847	19,319	-
2001	65	97	.401	26	5th	1,536,371	18,968	-
2002	62	100	.383	32½	4th	1,323,034	17,182	-
2003	83	79	.512	7	3rd	1,779,895	22,819	-
2004	58	104	.358	34	5th	1,661,478	21,031	-
2005	56	106	.346	43	5th	1,371,181	17,357	-
2006	31	56	.356	27½	5th	N/A	N/A	-
Totals	2,901	3,041	.488

Quick facts

Founded: 1969 (American League expansion)

Uniform colors: Royal Blue, black, white, and yellow

Logo design: Entwined "KC" on a blue shield topped with a gold crown

Team motto: Your Team. Your Town.

Playoff appearances (7): 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985

Local Television: RSTN (KMCI-38, MetroSports)

Local Radio: WHB, KCXM

Spring Training Facility: Surprise Stadium, Surprise, AZ

Players of note

Baseball Hall of Fame

Players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with their primary position and years of service with the Royals:

5 George Brett, 3B, 1973-93
30 Orlando Cepeda, DH, 1974
3 Harmon Killebrew, DH, 1975
36 Gaylord Perry, P, 1983

Retired numbers

5 George Brett, 3B, 1973-93
10 Dick Howser, Manager, 1981-86; also played SS for the Kansas City Athletics, 1961-63
20 Frank White, 2B, 1973-90

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

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

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

2 Fred Patek, SS, 1971-79
5 George Brett, 3B, 1973-93
6 Willie Wilson, OF, 1976-90
11 Hal McRae, OF-DH, 1973-87; Manager, 1991-94
16 Bo Jackson, OF, 1987-90
20 Frank White, 2B, 1973-90
22 Dennis Leonard, P, 1974-86
29 Dan Quisenberry, P, 1979-88
34 Paul Splittorff, P, 1970-84
36 Gaylord Perry, P, 1983 (14 games)

Current roster

Managers

Name	Years	Won	Lost	Winning %	Games	Post Season
Joe Gordon	1969	69	93	.426	163	-
Charlie Metro	1970	19	33	.365	52	-
Bob Lemon	1970-72	207	218	.487	425	-
Jack McKeon	1973-75	215	205	.512	420	-
Whitey Herzog	1975-79	410	304	.574	714	1976, 1977, 1978
Jim Frey	1980-81	127	105	.547	232	1980
Dick Howser	1981-86	404	365	.525	770	1981, 1984, 1985
Mike Ferraro*	1986	36	38	.486	74	-
Billy Gardner	1987	62	64	.492	126	-
John Wathan	1987-91	287	270	.515	557	-
Bob Schaefer*	1991	1		1.00	1	-
Hal McRae	1991-94	286	277	.508	563	-
Bob Boone	1995-97	181	206	.468	387	-
Tony Muser	1997-2002	317	431	.424	748	-
John Mizerock*	2002	5	8	.385	13	-
Tony Peña	2002-05	198	285	.410	483	-
Bob Schaefer*	2005	5	12	.294	17	-
Buddy Bell	2005-	74	125	.372	199	-

*Interim manager

Minor league affiliations

AAA: Omaha Royals, Pacific Coast League
AA: Wichita Wranglers, Texas League
Advanced A: High Desert Mavericks, California League
A: Burlington Bees, Midwest League
Rookie: AZL Royals, Arizona League
Rookie: Idaho Falls Chukars, Pioneer League

External links

Kansas City Royals official web site
Around the Horn in Kansas City - The Royals' Official Weblog
Sports E-Cyclopedia
Kansas City Royals at Sportiki

Kansas City Royals | Major League Baseball teams | 1969 establishments

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