1990 Kansas City Royals season
Royals finish sixth in AL West with 75–86 record.
The 1990 campaign marked the Royals' 22nd year as a franchise, their 18th playing at Kauffman Stadium, and John Wathan's fourth full season as manager. They ended the year in sixth place in the American League West, posting a 75-86 record.
Quick Facts
- Season
- 1990
- League
- American League
- Division
- West
- Ballpark
- Royals Stadium
- City
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Divisional place
- 6th
- Owners
- Ewing Kauffman
- General managers
- John Schuerholz
Facts from the source article.
Offseason
Kansas City had posted a winning record in three of the four seasons after their World Series championship, finishing the 1989 campaign at 92–70, the third-best mark in franchise history, and placing second in the AL West seven games behind the World Series champion Oakland Athletics. The rotation featured AL Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen, who set a franchise record with 23 wins in 1989, two-time All-Star Mark Gubicza, a 15-game winner that year, and 1989 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Tom Gordon, who won 17 games. Seeking to close the gap with Oakland, the organization pursued free-agent closer Mark Davis, the 1989 National League Cy Young winner and back-to-back All-Star who led the league with 44 saves and a 1.85 ERA for the San Diego Padres. The Royals signed Davis to a four-year, $13 million contract, at the time the largest annual salary in baseball history. Days earlier, they added starter Storm Davis, who had a career-high 19 wins (third in the league) with the Athletics in 1989, on a three-year, $6 million deal. The team traded starter Charlie Leibrandt and prospect Rick Luecken to the Atlanta Braves for 1988 All-Star first baseman Gerald Perry. Veteran right-hander Richard Dotson was signed as a free agent to fill the fifth starting slot. The offseason represented the club's largest commitment to free agents in its history.
Regular season
Despite the promising moves, the Royals suffered critical bullpen injuries, and both newly signed Davis hurlers turned in lackluster performances. The team finished 75–86, second-to-last in the AL West, their worst record since 1970. George Brett won the American League batting title, becoming a three-decade batting champion. On July 11, Bo Jackson performed his famous "wall run" against the Baltimore Orioles, catching a ball while running up the wall to avoid impact. On July 17, Jackson hit three home runs in his first three at-bats against the New York Yankees, driving in seven runs before exiting with a shoulder injury. On July 25, Brett hit for the reverse cycle for the second time in his career against the Toronto Blue Jays. On August 31, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners became the first father and son to play together in a major league game, facing the Royals. Notable players included Bob Boone, Jim Eisenreich, Kevin Seitzer, Kurt Stillwell, Danny Tartabull, and Frank White. On March 31, José DeJesús was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Steve Jeltz, and Mark Lee was released. Richard Dotson was released on June 21. On August 30, Pat Tabler was traded to the New York Mets for Archie Corbin.
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