Kansas City Royals

Lore & Background

The name 'Royals' pays homage to the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, rodeo, and championship barbecue competition held annually in Kansas City since 1899, as well as the identical names of two former Negro league baseball teams that played in the first half of the 20th century (one was a semi-pro team based in Kansas City in the 1910s and 1920s that toured the Midwest and the other was a California Winter League team based in Los Angeles in the 1940s that was managed by Chet Brewer and included Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson on its roster). The Los Angeles team had personnel connections to the Monarchs but could not use the Monarchs name. The name also fits into something of a theme for other professional sports franchises in the city, including the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL, the former Kansas City Kings of the NBA, and the former Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League. Entering the American League in 1969 along with the Seattle Pilots, the club was founded by Kansas City businessman Ewing Kauffman. The franchise was established following the actions of Stuart Symington, then-U.S. Senator from Missouri, who demanded a new franchise for the city after the Athletics (Kansas City's previous major league team that played from 1955 to 1967) moved to Oakland, California, in 1968. Since April 10, 1973, the Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium, formerly known as Royals Stadium. The new team quickly became a powerhouse, appearing in the playoffs seven times from 1976 to 1985, winning one World Series championship and another AL pennant, led by stars such as Amos Otis, Hal McRae, John Mayberry, George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson, and Bret Saberhagen. The team remained competitive throughout the early 1990s, but then had only one winning season (2003) from 1995 to 2012. For 28 consecutive seasons (1986–2013), the Royals did not qualify to play in the MLB postseason, one of the longest postseason droughts during baseball's current wild-card era. The team broke this streak in 2014 by securing the franchise's first wild card berth and advancing to the 2014 World Series, where they lost to the San Francisco Giants in seven games. The Royals, led by players like Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon, Johnny Cueto, Danny Duffy, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, and an elite group of bullpen pitchers, followed this up by winning the team

In Their Own Story

The air inside Comiskey Park was thick with humidity and tension on a sweltering August night. The scoreboard showed a tie game in the bottom of the ninth, the White Sox down to their last out against the Royals' ace. A thousand fans held their breath as the batter stepped into the box, knowing that this single at-bat could shift the entire divisional race. The crack of the bat echoed through the stadium, sending a line drive screaming toward the warning track, igniting a frenzy that would define the season's narrative.

Reader's Guide

From 1969 to 2025, the Royals have an all time win–loss record of 4,290–4,703–2 (.477). Entering the 2023 season, the team is valued at US$1.2 billion, placing them 27th out of MLB's 30 teams. Since 2019, the team has been owned by majority owner John Sherman, amongst many other Kansas City business owners and entrepreneurs.

Did You Know?

• The Royals were founded by Kansas City businessman Ewing Kauffman.
• The team's name 'Royals' pays homage to the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, rodeo, and championship barbecue competition.
• The Royals have made four World Series trips, winning in 1985 and 2015, and losing in 1980 and 2014.
• The Royals broke a 28-season postseason drought in 2014 by securing a wild card berth.