60 Fun Facts About Kansas City Royals

The Royals name pays homage to the American Royal, an annual Kansas City event featuring what?

A livestock show and rodeo with its own parade, the American Royal was the contest winner's whole case: the name should salute Missouri's billion-dollar livestock trade, not kings and queens.

Which 1969 expansion twin of the Royals became the Brewers?

The Seattle Pilots lost so much money in their only season that the club went bankrupt and was moved to Wisconsin just before the 1970 season, where it took the name of a local minor-league team.

Royals founder Ewing Kauffman made his fortune in which industry?

Pharmaceuticals: he started Marion Laboratories in a basement and built it into a company with close to a billion dollars in sales. He arranged for the club to pass to a local charity so it could never be moved away.

Senator Stuart Symington threatened to strip baseball of what unless Kansas City got a new team?

The antitrust exemption was the Missouri senator's lever after Kansas City lost its team. The American League promised a replacement by 1971, and he kept pushing until the date became 1969.

Which owner moved Kansas City's American League club to California after the 1967 season?

Charlie Finley had been trying to leave for years: in 1964 he signed a lease to play in Louisville, only for the other owners to block it. Three years later they finally let him take the club to California.

The Royals' crown-and-shield logo was drawn at which Kansas City company?

Hallmark Cards opened the job to any employee, packaging artist Shannon Manning recalled, and the club asked only for blue and a crown. By his account his shield beat twenty rivals, one of them a psychedelic cow.

Which future manager won the AL Rookie of the Year Award as a Royals outfielder in 1969?

Lou Piniella was traded to Kansas City a week before Opening Day, then led off the club's first game with a double, scored its first run and finished the afternoon with four hits.

A magazine photo of George Brett signing baseballs in his team jersey inspired which singer's breakthrough hit?

Lorde saw the old National Geographic picture, with 'Royals' across his shirt, and liked the word enough to build a song on it. The two finally met in 2014, a few months after it won a Grammy.

What was Kauffman Stadium called before its 1993 renaming?

Royals Stadium took Ewing Kauffman's name at a ceremony in July 1993, one month before the founder died. Two years later its artificial turf was torn out and replaced with grass.

Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium together make up a sports complex named after whom?

The complex is named for Harry Truman, the Missouri-born president; building separate baseball and NFL stadiums side by side defied the 1960s fashion for multipurpose bowls.

What stretches 322 feet behind the right-field fence at Kauffman Stadium?

Fountains and waterfalls suit a place nicknamed the City of Fountains, and this display was billed as the world's largest privately funded fountain when the park opened.

The lone red seat at Kauffman Stadium honours which Negro Leagues legend and Royals scout?

Buck O'Neil used to sit there while scouting for the club. Since 2007 the seat has gone at every home game to someone nominated for the good they have done in the community.

What colour were the Royals' road uniforms of the 1970s and 1980s?

Powder blue first appeared in 1973 and was only ever worn away from home. When the club revived it in 2008 as an alternate jersey, the colour was seen at Kauffman Stadium for the first time.

Which manager led the Royals to three straight division titles from 1976 to 1978?

Whitey Herzog won three straight AL West titles before being fired after the 1979 season; as Cardinals manager he lost the 1985 World Series to the Royals.

The Royals lost the ALCS three years running from 1976 to 1978 to which team?

The New York Yankees won all three of those ALCS; the Royals finally got revenge with a three-game sweep in 1980, capped by George Brett's homer off Goose Gossage.

Whose dash home from third base on a routine groundout tied Game 5 of the 2015 World Series in the ninth inning?

Eric Hosmer broke for the plate the moment the third baseman threw across to first, and the relay home sailed wide. Kansas City had started the inning two runs down, and won the title three innings later.

Brett's .390 in 1980 was the AL's best since whose .406?

Ted Williams was the last American or National League hitter to reach .400. Brett missed 45 games with injuries that summer, yet his average was hovering around .400 in the third week of September.

The Royals lost their first World Series, in 1980, to which team?

The Philadelphia Phillies won in six games for the first championship in their history. Tug McGraw ended it by striking out the last Royals batter with the bases loaded.

Umpires measured the pine tar on George Brett's bat in 1983 by laying it across what?

Home plate is 17 inches wide and the rule allowed 18 inches of tar, so it made a ready ruler. The league president later gave the home run back, saying the rule existed only to keep baseballs clean.

Which opposing manager asked the umpires to inspect George Brett's bat in the Pine Tar Game?

Billy Martin's complaint got the home run wiped out. In the uproar Royals pitcher Gaylord Perry wrestled the bat away from the umpire and sent it off to be hidden, until stadium security seized it.

When the Pine Tar Game resumed, which left-handed thrower played second base for the home team?

Don Mattingly, a rookie first baseman, took second base while ace pitcher Ron Guidry stood in centre field. The last four outs passed without a run, so the Royals' 5-4 lead became the final score.

The 1985 all-Missouri World Series between the Royals and Cardinals is nicknamed the what Series?

I-70 is the interstate that runs across Missouri between Kansas City and St. Louis. The Royals lost three of the first four games, then won three in a row to take their first title.

Which umpire's disputed safe call on Jorge Orta opened the Royals' ninth-inning rally in the 1985 World Series?

Don Denkinger called Jorge Orta safe at first although replays showed the throw beat him. A passed ball and a pinch single later, a 1-0 deficit had become a 2-1 win that forced a seventh game.

Who pitched a shutout in Game 7 of the 1985 World Series as the Royals won 11-0?

Bret Saberhagen, 21, had become a father the day before: his son was born hours before Game 6. He then threw a five-hit shutout in the decider and was named the Series MVP.

Which pinch hitter's walk-off single won Game 6 of the 1985 World Series for Kansas City?

Dane Iorg's pinch single scored two runs in the ninth to win Game 6 2-1; he had won a ring with the Cardinals three years earlier.

Whose bases-loaded triple off Dave Stieb broke open Game 7 of the 1985 ALCS in Toronto?

Jim Sundberg's drive hit the top of the right-field fence in the sixth inning and turned a 2-1 lead into 5-1. The Royals had trailed three games to one in the first best-of-seven ALCS.

Which Royals teammate did George Brett edge for the 1976 batting title on the season's final day?

Hal McRae led by a fraction of a point until Brett's ninth-inning fly ball bounced past an outfielder for an inside-the-park home run. Brett won again in 1980 and 1990, the first to take titles in three decades.

Which two-sport star hit a leadoff home run in the 1989 All-Star Game while playing for the Royals?

Bo Jackson drove a 448-foot homer to centre field in his first All-Star at-bat, later stole a base and left as the game's MVP.

The Royals waived their two-sport star in spring 1991 after he injured his hip playing which other sport?

Football cost him his hip in a January 1991 playoff game for the Raiders. Two years later he returned to baseball after hip-replacement surgery and hit a home run in his first at-bat.

The Royals have retired No. 5 for George Brett and No. 20 for which second baseman?

Frank White worked on the construction crew that built the stadium, then became the first graduate of the club's baseball academy to reach the majors. He won eight Gold Gloves there, and his No. 20 was retired in 1995.

Which submarine-style reliever saved 238 games for the Royals and led the league in saves five times?

Dan Quisenberry could not overpower hitters, so in 1980 he was sent to copy the low release of Pittsburgh's Kent Tekulve. He was also a poet, and published a collection in the last year of his life.

Who managed the Royals to the 1985 World Series title, their last postseason for 28 seasons?

Dick Howser managed the American League to an All-Star Game win in July 1986 and was found two days later to have a brain tumour. He died the next June, and the playoffs did not return until 2014.

Which 1999 AL Rookie of the Year did the Royals trade away in 2004 as he neared free agency?

Carlos Beltrán was months from free agency, so the small-market Royals sent him to Houston in a three-team deal rather than lose him for nothing. Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye had gone the same way in 2001.

Which Royals pitcher led the majors with a 2.16 ERA and won the AL Cy Young Award in 2009?

Zack Greinke had left the team in spring 2006 to be treated for depression and social anxiety, and came close to giving up the game. Three years later his 2.16 ERA was the lowest in the majors.

The December 2012 trade for James Shields and Wade Davis sent which top prospect to Tampa Bay?

Wil Myers was the AL Rookie of the Year for Tampa Bay the very next season. Kansas City's reward came later: Wade Davis struck out the final batter of the 2015 World Series.

The Royals' 2014 postseason began with a 9-8, 12-inning Wild Card Game win over which team?

Kansas City trailed the Oakland Athletics 7-3 in the eighth before rallying, and the catcher's 12th-inning walk-off single started a run of eight straight postseason wins.

The Royals lost Game 7 of the 2014 World Series 3-2 to which team, with the tying run on third?

The San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner came out of the bullpen for five scoreless innings, and the last out was a foul pop to Pablo Sandoval with Alex Gordon on third.

The Royals' 2014 and 2015 bullpen was anchored by the 'HDH' trio of Herrera, Davis and whom?

Greg Holland was the closer behind Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis, with a club-record 47 saves in 2013. An elbow injury ended his 2015 season in September, so Davis finished the title run in his place.

Which team did the Royals beat in five games in the 2015 World Series?

The New York Mets took a 2-0 lead into the ninth inning of Game 5, only for Kansas City to tie it and score five in the twelfth. It was the club's first championship in 30 years.

Which Royal was named MVP of the 2015 World Series?

Salvador Pérez had made the last out of the 2014 World Series with the tying run on third base. A year later he started the title-winning rally with a single in the twelfth inning of Game 5.

Which pitcher did the Royals acquire from Cincinnati in July 2015 for prospects including Brandon Finnegan?

Johnny Cueto came from the Reds for Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed; he threw eight innings of two-hit ball in ALDS Game 5 against Houston to send the Royals to the ALCS.

The Royals' 'ACE 30' jersey patches in 2017 honoured which pitcher, killed in a car accident?

Yordano Ventura, who had thrown seven shutout innings in Game 6 of the 2014 World Series, died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic in January 2017 at age 25.

Which Royals manager retired after 2019 with a franchise-record 746 wins?

Ned Yost also holds the club record for defeats, with 839. Ten seasons in charge brought two pennants and a World Series title, yet the Royals' winningest manager lost more games than he won.

Who sold the Royals to John Sherman's group in 2019 for about $1 billion?

David Glass, a former Walmart chief executive, had paid $96 million for the club in 2000. He agreed the sale in August 2019 and died the following January, only weeks after it was completed.

Which slugger set the Royals' single-season home run record with 48 in 2019?

Jorge Soler came from the Cubs in a trade for closer Wade Davis and endured two injury-hit seasons. Healthy in 2019, he beat a club record only two years old by ten home runs.

Whose 31-game hitting streak across 2018 and 2019 broke George Brett's club record?

Whit Merrifield passed Brett's 30 games from 1980 with a bunt single in the seventh inning. He was a late arrival: he did not play in the majors until he was 27.

Which Royals outfielder was named MVP of the 2014 ALCS sweep of Baltimore?

Lorenzo Cain won the award for his hitting and his catches in centre field. A year later he won the next pennant with his legs, scoring from first base on a single to break an eighth-inning tie.

Which Royal won the 2024 AL batting title as the club reached the playoffs a year after losing 106 games?

Bobby Witt Jr. had signed the largest contract the club had ever given that winter. He answered by finishing second in the MVP vote as the Royals won 86 games, 30 more than the year before.

Which Royal stole a club-record 83 bases in 1979?

Willie Wilson began that season as a reserve. He became a regular in May, after a pitch broke outfielder Al Cowens' jaw, and ran his way to the league lead in steals.

Which manager won AL Manager of the Year for the 2003 Royals' only winning season between 1995 and 2012?

Tony Peña won 2003 AL Manager of the Year as the Royals finished above .500; shortstop Ángel Berroa was Rookie of the Year, and Peña quit mid-season in 2005.

The Royals turned down a 1997 realignment move that instead sent the Brewers to which division?

NL Central: with Brewers owner Bud Selig serving as acting commissioner, Kansas City was given first choice of the move. The Royals preferred to stay in the American League, so Milwaukee switched for 1998.

Which future Royals star did general manager Cedric Tallis land in a lopsided 1969 trade for third baseman Joe Foy?

Amos Otis did not want to play third base, where his old club kept trying him. Kansas City made him its center fielder at once, and he won three Gold Gloves there while Foy was out of the majors within two years.

In 2006 voters funded Kauffman Stadium's renovation but rejected which addition shared with Arrowhead Stadium?

A rolling roof that could slide over either stadium was in the complex's original 1960s plans but was never built. Without it, the Chiefs dropped their bid to host the 2015 Super Bowl.

A fan sued the Royals after mascot Sluggerrr hit him in the eye with what during a 2009 game?

A hot dog wrapped in foil detached the fan's retina. Missouri's Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that, unlike a foul ball, a mascot's hot dog toss is not a risk fans accept by attending; a second jury then found nobody at fault.

Which Hall of Fame pitcher managed the Royals to their first winning season, in 1971?

Bob Lemon had the three-year-old club at 85-76, second in its division. Owner Ewing Kauffman fired him a year later anyway, saying he wanted a younger manager, and gave the job to Jack McKeon.

Which broadcaster joined the Royals for their first season in 1969 and won the Hall of Fame's Frick Award in 2007?

Denny Matthews beat hundreds of applicants for the junior seat beside Buddy Blattner. He took over as the lead voice in the mid-1970s and stayed on the air for more than fifty seasons.

Which Kansas City native won the 1994 AL Cy Young Award with his hometown Royals?

David Cone was drafted by his hometown club, which traded him away in 1987 for a catcher who was soon injured and barely played again. He came home as a free agent, won the 1994 award and was traded again the next spring.

Which free-agent pitcher's five-year, $55 million deal before the 2007 season matched the richest contract in Royals history?

Gil Meche retired in 2011 with a damaged shoulder rather than collect the final $12 million of that deal, saying he would not take money he wasn't earning.

Which Royals manager was hired for 2008 after winning the 2006 Japan Series with the Nippon Ham Fighters?

Trey Hillman was unveiled in Kansas City in October 2007, then went back to manage the Fighters in that year's Japan Series. His Royals never had a winning season, and he was fired 35 games into 2010.

Which Royal hit extra-inning home runs in both the ALDS and ALCS in 2014?

Mike Moustakas had been sent to the minors that May with a .152 batting average. Five months later he hit five postseason home runs, starting with an 11th-inning winner in the opening game of the ALDS.