Kansas City Royals
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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.
- Founded: 1969 (American League expansion)
- Home ballpark: Kauffman Stadium (part of the Truman Sports Complex)
- Uniform colors: Royal Blue and white
- Logo design: Entwined "KC" on a blue shield topped with a gold crown
- Wild Card titles won (0): none
- Division titles won (7): 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985
- American League pennants won (2): 1980, 1985
- World Series championships won (1): 1985
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Franchise history
The Kansas City Royals were purchased as an expansion franchise by pharmaceutical magnate Ewing Kauffman in 1968 and played their first season the following year. Early Royals stars included 1969 Rookie of the Year Lou Piniella, Amos Otis, Paul Splitorff, 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.
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. The Royals quickly became successful, winning three straight division championships from 1976 to 1978 under manager Whitey Herzog.
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. 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 and went all the way to the World Series again in 1985 under manager Dick Howser, beating the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals in the so-called I-70 Series in seven games.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Royals developed young stars such as Bo Jackson 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 Peņa, in his first full season with the club, guided the Royals to their first winning record since the strike-shortened 1994 season.
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 Beltran for prospects, all within a week of each other.
Players of note
Baseball Hall of Famers
Royals Hall of Fame
- Steve Busby 1986
- Amos Otis 1986
- Dick Howser 1987
- Cookie Rojas 1987
- Paul Splittorff 1987
- Dennis Leonard 1989
- Hal McRae 1989
- Joe Burke 1992
- Larry Gura 1992
- Fred Patek 1992
- Ewing Kauffman 1993
- George Brett 1994
- Frank White 1995
- Muriel Kauffman 1996
- John Mayberry 1996
- Dan Quisenberry 1998
- White Herzog 2000
- Willie Wilson 2000
- Jeff Montgomery 2003
- Denny Matthews 2004
Current stars
- Jeremy Affeldt (P)
- Brian Anderson (P)
- Kevin Appier (P)
- Angel Berroa (SS)
- Andres Blanco (SS)
- John Buck (C)
- David De Jesus (CF)
- Nate Field (P)
- Juan Gonzalez
- Ruben Gotay (2B)
- Zack Greinke (P)
- Aaron Guiel (LF)
- Ken Harvey (1B)
- Runelvys Hernandez (P)
- Darrell May (P)
- Abraham Nuņez (RF)
- Joe Randa (3B)
- Benito Santiago (C)
- Jimmy Serrano (P)
- Matt Stairs (RF)
- Mike Sweeney (DH)
- Mike Wood (P)
Not to be forgotten
- Dick Howser
- Ewing Kauffman
- Willie Aikens
- Steve Busby
- Dennis Leonard
- Hal McRae
- Amos Otis
- Freddie Patek
- Lou Piniella
- Darrell Porter
- Dan Quisenberry
- Cookie Rojas
- Bret Saberhagen
- Frank White
- Willie Wilson
- Bo Jackson
- Danny "The Bull" Tartabull
- Mark Gubicza
- Kevin Seitzer
Retired numbers
- 5 George Brett
- 10 Dick Howser
- 20 Frank White
- 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball)
Minor league affiliates
- Omaha Royals (AAA, Pacific Coast League)
- Wichita Wranglers (AA, Texas League)
- High Desert Mavericks (High-A, California League)
- Burlington Bees (A, Midwest League)
- Arizona Royals (Rookie, Arizona League)
- Idaho Falls Chukars (Rookie, Pioneer League)
External link
ja:カンザスシティ・ロイヤルズ
