History of the Kansas City Royals
From 1976 to 1985, the Kansas City Royals was one of the best teams in major league baseball, winning six American League West division titles (1976-1978, 1980, 1984, 1985), two American League pennants (1980, 1985), and one World Series (1985). Their best season was 1977, when they had 102 wins and 60 losses.
1969
The Kansas City Royals team was established in 1969 as an American League expansion team to replace the Kansas City Athletics who had moved to Oakland. They had a poor first season, finishing with 69 wins and 93 losses in 1969. Their manager that year was Hall of Famer Joe Gordon. They played their home games that year at Municipal Stadium.
1970-1979
The Royals started the 1970s with good players, including Lou Piniella, and a strong farm system that included future Hall of Famer George Brett. Although they had a winning season in 1971, they finished in second place in the American League West division. Hall of Famer Bob Lemon managed them from 1970 through 1972. In 1973, their home games were moved to Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals' ownership replaced Lemon with Jack McKeon in 1973, and he led them to another winning season, but no postseason play. He was replaced by Whitey Herzog in 1975, who quickly led the Royals to three American League West division series titles (1976, 1977, 1978). The team, however, lost the American League pennant race all three years to the New York Yankees.
1980-1989
A new manager, Jim Frey, was hired for the 1980 season, and he led them to 97 wins and 65 losses and another American League West division title. They went on to win their first AL pennant, finally defeating the New York Yankees. They lost the 1980 World Series, however, to the Philadelphia Phillies.
In 1981, Frey was replaced as manager by Dick Howser, who led the Royals to winning seasons in 1982, 1984, and 1985. In 1984, they won the AL West division title for the fifth time in nine years. They lost the ALCS to the Detroit Tigers. The team at that time included the hot hitting George Brett and young pitchers Bret Saberhagen and Charlie Leibrandt.
The Royals finally won a World Series title in 1985, after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS and the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. They had a losing season in 1986, and they changed managers prior to the season ending. Howser and Mike Ferraro both managed the team in 1986, followed by Billy Gardner and John Wathan in 1987. They again had a winning season in 1987.
Wathan led the Royals to winning seasons again in 1988 and 1989, but they didn't get to the postseason in either of those years. In 1989, Bret Saberhagen won his second Cy Young award while with the Royals (the first was in 1985), and he led all major league baseball pitchers in wins.
1990-1999
George Brett ended his career in the early 1990s and the Royals' management and ownership changed during this time. The death in 1993 of long-time owner Ewing Kauffman left the Royals without stable ownership until 2000. This void resulted in huge payroll cuts and the inability to purchase or retain top players.
Although the Royals had winning seasons in 1991, 1993, and 1994, they didn't make it to the postseason in any of those years. Their best season was 1993, with 84 wins and 78 losses. They were helped in the early years of the 1990s by pitchers David Cone, who won the Cy Young award in 1994, and Kevin Appier who led the AL in ERA in 1993.
Moving to the newly formed AL Central division in 1994 seemed to badly affect the team. By 1999, the once championship Royals had one of the poorest records in major league baseball, ending the season with a 64-97 record. It was their fifth consecutive losing season.
The Royals experienced several managerial changes during the 1990s. Hal McRae took over from Wathan in 1991, and he managed the team through 1994. Bob Boone managed from 1995 until he was replaced by Tony Muser in 1997.
2000-2009
The Royals' misfortunes continued into the new century until 2003 when new manager, Tony Pena, led the team to a winning record of 83-79. Pena was named the AL Manager of the Year for turning the team around. However, the following year, the Royals slid down again with a record of 104 losses. By 2005, the Kansas City Royals were an embarrassment to their fans with a 56-106 record, 43 games behind the leader of the American League Central division. Tony Pena quit before the season was over.
The Royals did not fare much better under new manager Buddy Bell, and they again lost 100 games or more in 2006. They had a better record in 2007, winning 69 games and finally not losing 100 or more games. However, it was not enough incentive to keep Buddy Bell and in 2008, the Royals began under the leadership of manager Trey Hillman. The Royals ended the 2008 season with another losing record, 75-87, but it was their best record in five years.
2010-2018
In 2010, Ned Yost was hired as manager of the Royals. The team ended that season with a 67-95 record. They fared better in 2011, finishing with 71 wins and 91 losses. The 2012 season was similar with a 72-90 record.
The Royals finally had a winning season in 2013, with 86 wins and 76 losses, but they still finished in third place in the AL Central division. They fared better in 2014, finishing in second place in the division with 89 wins and 73 losses. They won a Wild Card spot in 2014 and they defeated the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card game. They then went on to sweep the ALDS over the Los Angeles Angels in three games and the ALCS over the Baltimore Orioles in four games. They faced the San Francisco Giants in the World Series and lost it in seven games.
The Royals had their first really strong season in many years in 2015. They won the AL Central division title with 95 wins and 67 losses. They then defeated the Houston Astros in the ALDS and the Blue Jays in the ALCS. They faced the New York Mets in the World Series and they finally won their second World Series title. Three of the players who aided the Royals in their 2015 wins were infielders Eric Hosmer and Alcides Escobar and outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon.
The Royals have been on a downhill slide since their World Series victory in 2015. They finished in third place in the AL Central division in 2016 with 81 wins and 81 losses and in 2017 with 80 wins and 82 losses. In 2018, they had a last place finish, with a dismal 58 wins to 104 losses.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Kansas City Royals
Baseball Reference - Kansas City Royals