Kansas City Royals Baseball
The team came into existence in the year 1969 and is one of the most successful teams in the Major League history. The Kansas City Royals didn’t win much that first season in 1969, but they would put a respectable 69-93 record for an expansion team. In fact of the 4 new teams debuting throughput baseball the Royals would post the best record, and would even see Lou Piniella take home individual honors by winning the Rookie of the Year.
The key to Kansas City’s success during the 1970s and 1980s was third baseman George Brett. The Royals quickly became successful, winning three straight division championships from 1976 to 1978 under manager Whitey Herzog.
In 1985, the Kansas City Royals played in the World Series that was called the I-70 Series against their cross-state rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Royals led by 30 HRs from Steve Balboni, and George Brett, romp the Cardinals in seven games to win their first ever World Series.
The team struggled during most of the mid- and late 1990s. In 1993 when Ewing Kauffman died leaving the franchise without permanent ownership, until Wal-Mart executive David Glass purchased the team for $96 million in 2000. The Royals suffered an awful 64-97 in 1999 season.
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. The Royals won just 1 of their next 14 after the June 24th trade on the way to finishing in last place with the worst record in franchise history at 54-108.
Kauffman Stadium
Opened as Royals Stadium on April 10, 1973, it is recognized throughout baseball as one of the game's most beautiful ballparks. Kauffman Stadium is one of the most fan-friendly arenas in professional sports. Beyond the fence in right field is a 322-foot-wide fountain, the largest privately funded waterworks in the world that features lighted cascades between innings. Beyond the fence in left field is a 30-by-40 foot Sony JumboTron video display board that was the largest in the United States when installed in 1990.
The re-naming of the stadium was appropriate in that it was the strength and integrity of Ewing M. Kauffman's ownership that provided the cornerstone for the Royals success. Kauffman purchased the club as an expansion franchise in 1968. Kauffman, who founded Marion Laboratories in his mother's basement and built it into a diversified health care company with sales reaching nearly one billion dollars.
Kauffman Stadium has a 12-story high scoreboard that towers above the outfield. The field has the best visibility for hitters in the MLB, but few homers are hit here because alleys are deep and the fence cuts away sharply from the 330-foot foul poles. Retired uniform numbers of Dick Howser (10), George Brett (5) and Frank White (20) are displayed on the base of the scoreboard.