Kansas City Royals: Difference between revisions
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{{main|2007 Kansas City Royals season|2008 Kansas City Royals season}} |
{{main|2007 Kansas City Royals season|2008 Kansas City Royals season}} |
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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. <ref>Flanagan, Jeffrey. [http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16647959.htm Royals reach to past with newest slogan] ''Kansas City Star'', 28 February 2007.</ref> 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. <ref name="Royals unveil"/> |
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. <ref>Flanagan, Jeffrey. [http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16647959.htm Royals reach to past with newest slogan] ''Kansas City Star'', 28 February 2007.</ref> 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. <ref name="Royals unveil">[http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060127&content_id=1302088&vkey=news_kc&fext=.jsp&c_id=kc Royals unveil new uniforms in 2006] ''MLB.com'', 27 January 2006.</ref> Kansas City entered the 2007 season looking to rebound from four out of five seasons ending with at least 100 losses. |
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In the [[2007 Major League Baseball Draft|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.<ref name="Bell stepping down">[http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070801&content_id=2122768&vkey=news_kc&fext=.jsp&c_id=kc Bell stepping down as Royals skipper]</ref>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. |
In the [[2007 Major League Baseball Draft|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.<ref name="Bell stepping down">[http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070801&content_id=2122768&vkey=news_kc&fext=.jsp&c_id=kc Bell stepping down as Royals skipper]</ref>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. |
Revision as of 13:15, 27 December 2007
For current information on this topic, see 2008 Kansas City Royals season. |
Kansas City Royals | |||||
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2024 Kansas City Royals season | |||||
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Major league affiliations | |||||
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Current uniform | |||||
Retired numbers | 5, 10, 20, 42 | ||||
Name | |||||
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Other nicknames | |||||
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Ballpark | |||||
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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. | |||||
Front office | |||||
Principal owner(s) | David Glass | ||||
General manager | Dayton Moore | ||||
Manager | Trey Hillman |
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" name originates from the American 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 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.
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"
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. 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 an incorrect 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 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. 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, improbably 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 parts 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 surprisingly 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 coach 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.[2] During the season General Manager Allard Baird was fired and Dayton Moore became the next GM of the team.
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. [4] 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.[5]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.
Early candidates to succeed Bell included Royals bench coach Billy Doran,[6] former Royals stars George Brett (Brett denied his intentions) and Frank White,[6] and Triple-A Omaha manager Mike Jirschele. Former Major League managers such as Joe Girardi,[5][6] Jim Fregosi,[6] Ken Macha,[6] and Jimy Williams.[6] Atlanta Braves coaches Terry Pendleton and Brian Snitker were also in consideration.[7]. 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.[8]
As part of the Royals' "True. 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 will wear powder blue for the first time ever at Kauffman Stadium.[9] The uniforms were introduced on December 6, 2007 at a special event for season ticket holders and were modeled off by current players such as Alex Gordon and former players such as Frank White.[9]
Players of note
Baseball Hall of Fame
Two individuals have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame based primarily upon their service with the Royals:
- 5 George Brett, 3B, 1973-93
- Denny Matthews, Radio announcer, 1969-Present (Ford C. Frick Award recipient, 2007)
Three other Hall of Famers briefly wore Royal blue, all at the end of their careers:
- 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
- 20 Frank White, 2B, 1973-90; Coach, 1997-present
- 42 Jackie Robinson, Retired throughout baseball
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
- 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 | 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 | - |
- *Interim manager
- ‡Record through 2007 season
Minor league affiliations
- AAA: Omaha Royals, Pacific Coast League
- AA: Wichita Wranglers, 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
Season | Won | Lost | % | GB | 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 | 72 | 90 | .444 | 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 | 62 | 100 | .383 | 34 | 5th | 1,372,684 | 17,158 | - |
2007 | 69 | 93 | .426 | 27 | 5th | 1,616,867 | 19,961 | - |
Totals | 3,003 | 3,176 | .486 |
Radio and television
As of 2008, the Royals will carry games on KCSP 610AM and KMBZ 980AM depending on scheduling. [2]
The television home of the Royals beginning in 2008 will be FSN Midwest, showing more games than ever before, 140.
The announcing teams are unknown as of this time, but the television crew is expected to include Royals Hall of Famer Paul Splittorff and former partner to Denny Matthews, Ryan Lefebvre. On the radio, the crew will be Denny Matthews 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]
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.YouTube.com Video
See also
- Kansas City Royals all-time roster
- Kansas City Royals award winners and league leaders
- Kansas City Royals records - statistical records and milestone achievements
- I-70 Series - Royals-Cardinals rivalry
References
- ^ http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/15496052.htm
- ^ http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/baseball/mlb/kansas_city_royals/15634743.htm
- ^ Flanagan, Jeffrey. Royals reach to past with newest slogan Kansas City Star, 28 February 2007.
- ^ Royals unveil new uniforms in 2006 MLB.com, 27 January 2006.
- ^ a b Bell stepping down as Royals skipper
- ^ a b c d e f Dutton, Bob. Finding a manager tops Royals' offseason checklist Kansas City Star, 1 October 2007.
- ^ Dutton, Bob. [1] Kansas City Star, 1 Aug 2007
- ^ Kaeger, Dick. Royals introduce Hillman as new manager MLB.com, 22 October 2007.
- ^ a b Kaegel, Dick. Royals to bring back powder blues Royals.com, 6 December 2007.