The team looked to improve upon its record of 69–93 from 2007. The team's payroll for the 2008 season was initially estimated to be around $57 million,[2] and wound up at $58 million (24th in the major leagues).[3][4]
Despite another last-place finish in 2007, the Royals sought a breakout season in 2008.[5] Renovations to Kauffman Stadium were ongoing throughout the 2008 season and it was completed in time for Opening Day in 2009.
Following the team's 81st game, the mid-way point of the 2008 season, the Royals had a 37–44 record. The closest the team managed to crawl back to a .500 record after their 9–6 start to the season was within 6 games in mid-July. After compiling a 7–20 record in August, the Royals were eliminated from recording their first winning season since 2003. However, an 18–8 record in September let the Royals finish with a 75–87 record, their best since 2003.[6]
Offseason
Coaching search
I'm a hungry guy...I do not like to lose. I like to start from the ground up and build, and build in such a way that it's going to be maintained for many years to come.
— Trey Hillman at his introductory press conference, October 22, 2007.[1]
The acquisition of Guillén was the Royals' only major move at the winter meetings. Just before the meetings, the Royals had ministered to another need by signing reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta to a two-year deal with an option for 2010.[9][10] Yabuta, from the Nippon Professional Baseball league, was seen as the likely successor to David Riske in a right-handed setup role. Riske left the Royals for a three-year, $13 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.[10][11]Hiroki Kuroda was on the Royals' radar, but several other teams were in pursuit as well,[10][12] and the Dodgers signed him first.
After a lengthy absence, the Royals' powder blue uniforms returned in 2008. The new powder blue jerseys were unveiled to season-ticket holders on December 6, 2007, at a private event in downtown Kansas City.[22] Royals players John Buck, Mark Teahen, Alex Gordon, José Guillén and David DeJesus and manager Trey Hillman modeled the new power blue tops and white pants, which will be an alternate home jersey in 2008. The Royals previously wore powder-blue uniforms in away games from 1973 to 1991.[22]
The Royals debuted the jerseys on April 12 against the Minnesota Twins. The first 20,000 fans for the game received a replica powder blue No. 16 Billy Butler jersey.[23] With that promotion, the game was a sellout.[23] Manager Trey Hillman and seven players—Brian Bannister, Gil Meche, Joey Gathright, Tony Peña Jr., John Bale, Zack Greinke and Butler—helped hand out the free jerseys when the gates opened at 4 p.m.[23] All 20,000 powder blue tops were handed out within 40 minutes after the gates opened.[23]
Regular season
Suspensions
Outfielder José Guillén was to be suspended for 15 days (12 games) for violation of Major League Baseball's Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Kansas City signed Guillén knowing that he might have been suspended.[24] Guillén was cited in the Mitchell Report when it was released on December 13, 2007.[25][26] Guillén's suspension was put on hold for 10 days allowing him to play in the team's season and home openers.[27] The suspension was eventually upheld and Guillén never received any punishment.[28]
Brian Bannister was named AL co-Player of the Week after throwing a complete game on April 13.
On March 31, the Detroit Tigers hosted the Royals on Opening Day. Kansas City listed only 24 players on their active roster, as Miguel Olivo began serving his four-game suspension.[31] The roster listed 11 pitchers, 7 infielders, 4 outfielders, and 2 catchers.[31]Gil Meche made his second consecutive Opening Day start for the Royals,[32] lasting six innings.[2] The Royals won the game 5-4 in 11 innings,[2] and went on to sweep the Tigers in the three-game series outscoring them 13-5. Kansas City hosted the New York Yankees for their home-opening series at Kauffman Stadium and won two of three games. Their 6–2 start was the franchise's best since 2003.[33]
The Royals hosted the Twins from April 11–13, where game-time temperatures reached as low as 29°F (−2°C) for the series.[34] After losing the first two games and not scoring any runs, the Royals won the last game by a score of 5-1. Kansas City debuted their new alternate powder blue home jerseys to a sold-out crowd on April 12, with a replica jersey giveaway promotion.[35]Brian Bannister threw a complete game and allowed only three hits on April 13 in a 5-1 win.[34] The following night, Zack Greinke threw a complete game as well.[36]
It was not until their 19th game of the season that the Royals fell under a .500 winning percentage in the middle of a seven-game losing streak after going 9–6 to start the season. When the streak was snapped they were 10–13. In 2007, the Royals lost their second game of the year and remained under .500 for the remainder of the season, finishing with a record of 69–93.
May
After only 19 games, Mike Avilés was hitting .352 with 3 home runs, a triple, 9 doubles, 16 runs scored, and 14 runs batted in.
Brian Bannister threw a two-hitter on May 11 in a 4-0 win over Baltimore for the Royals' first victory over the Orioles after losing 12 consecutive games to the franchise. Through 40 games, Joakim Soria had a 0.00 ERA and ten saves, and the Royals signed him to a three-year contract extension through the 2011 season.[38]
In early May, Kansas City completed their second series sweep against Detroit, advancing to 6-0 over the Tigers on the season. Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox threw a no-hitter against Kansas City on May 19.[39] It was just the Royals' second game to register no hits against an opponent, and the first since May 15, 1973.[39]
The Royals endured a 12-game losing streak following the loss to Lester and the Red Sox,[40] sending them 11 games under .500 and in last place of the American League Central. The Royals started their May 31 game against Cleveland with the fewest runs, sacrifice flies, RBIs and walks in the major leagues, but beat reigning Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia 4-2 to end their losing streak.[40]
The losing streak prompted José Guillén to criticize his team's performance with the media after a 9-8 loss to Minnesota:[41]
"We've got 25 people. We've got to play as a team, win as a team and lose as a team. We've got too many babies here. They don't know how to play the game and play the game right, the way it's supposed to be played...That's the problem here. Now I know why this organization has been losing for a while."
The Royals' losing streak was the longest in the majors since Kansas City and Pittsburgh both had 13-game losing streaks in 2006. While going almost two weeks without a win, Kansas City had allowed three grand slams, lost a five-run lead in the ninth inning of one game and scored three or fewer runs in nine others.[40] It was the Royals' fourth time losing 12 consecutive games in franchise history, and all of the streaks have occurred since 1997.[42] The losing caused Kansas City to make roster changes by sending the struggling Billy Butler to Triple-A affiliate Omaha. Mike Avilés was called up in exchange.[43]
Looking to rebound from their 12-game losing streak in May, the Royals started the month of June with 4 consecutive series wins over National League opponents. Kansas City completed its first ever series sweep of the Cardinals in St. Louis.[44] In 12 years of Interleague play, the Cardinals still hold the I-70 Series lead, 26-22, but the Royals have done better in St. Louis, winning 11 of 21 games.[44] On June 22, the Royals made an improbable comeback after trailing 6-0 and later 10-3 against the San Francisco Giants.[45] The Royals scored 8 unanswered runs and won the game and Joakim Soria recorded his 20th save of the season in 21 tries.[45] Following a sweep of the defending National League championColorado Rockies, the Royals boasted an MLB-best 12–3 record in Interleague play and won for the tenth time in 11 games.[46] Following their 12-game skid ended in May, the Royals went 15–9, closed to within seven games of .500 and skipped out of last place of the American League Central.[46]
José Guillén made controversial remarks about Royals fans following booing in the June 25 game against the Rockies which prompted him to apologize days later to the Royals fanbase and team management.[47] Fans booed Guillén in the eighth inning of the Royals' 4-2 win. He grounded to Colorado Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins and began a slow run toward first base. Atkins' throw was off target, forcing Todd Helton to leave the bag. If Guillén had been at full speed, he might have been safe.[48] Guillén had been battling several injuries which had caused him to play easier in order to avoid the disabled list.[47]
At the Royals' home game against the Cardinals, the team inducted Art Stewart into the Royals Hall of Fame. Stewart became the first scout to be inducted into any of Major League Baseball's franchise hall of fames, and the Royals' 23rd overall inductee.[51]
In the final game of the month, the Royals defeated the Baltimore Orioles after Miguel Olivo, on a 0-2 pitch, hit a game-tying home run into the left-field seats in the bottom of the 9th inning. José Guillén batted in the Royals' game-winning run and Joakim Soria closed out the game for his 22nd save.[52] The Royals finished out the month of June with a 16–11 record.
July
Joakim Soria was chosen as the Royals' lone representative in the 2008 MLB All-Star Game. He finished the season with 42 saves.
At the All-Star break, the Royals boasted a record of 43–53, an improvement compared to their 38–50 record from 2007 and 31–56 record in 2006.
On July 21, the Royals suffered their worst defeat of the season, and the Tigers registered their first victory over Kansas City in 2008 with a score of 19-4.[56] By the seventh inning, it was 9-0 in favor of Detroit.[56] The Tigers' 10-run eighth inning mostly came against Jimmy Gobble, who was charged with all 10 runs.[56] At one point in the inning, Gobble allowed six straight hits, the last being a home run by Gary Sheffield.[56] His ERA spiraled from 7.99 to 11.31.[56] Gobble faced 12 hitters in the inning before Hillman finally called for Leo Núñez to substitute.[56] The Royals, behind 19-0, finally broke through with four runs in their half of the eighth.[56] They had five straight hits, including Billy Butler's two-run single.[56] Manager Trey Hillman said following the game:[56]
It was a nasty loss...Obviously lopsided—a laugher for them. Toward the end, at least we were playing with a little bit of pride, still battling and we got rid of the shutout. That was a positive.
Hillman decided to enlist shortstop Tony Peña Jr. to pitch the ninth inning for the Royals.[56] Peña, who lost his starting shortstop job to Mike Avilés, pitched a one-two-three inning and registered 90mph (140km/h)-plus on the radar gun.[56] This was his first competitive pitching since high school in the Dominican Republic.[56] Peña was the first position player pressed into pitching service by the Royals since July 17, 1998, when infielder Shane Halter took a turn in an 18-5 loss at Seattle.[56]
On July 29, ESPN Deportes reported that José Guillén expressed his wish to be traded due to a bad relationship with manager Trey Hillman.[57] When Guillén signed with Kansas City he knew the team wouldn't be a contender in 2008, but he was promised that moves would be made to build a winning team in 2009.[57] Kansas City had not shown any interest in trading Guillén.[57] The source said Guillén was ready to defer his salary for 2009 and 2010 if it were to help increase his value on the trading block.[57] A "visibly upset" Guillén met with Hillman and denied the report.[58] The trade deadline passed on July 31 and the Royals made no trades.[59]
August
The Royals recorded a season-high 19 runs against the Chicago White Sox on August 2 in a 9-7 win.[60] The following day, Kansas City closed out the series against Chicago by winning 14-3.[61] In two days, the Royals recorded 38 total hits for the first time in franchise history.[61] The Royals finally fought back against the White Sox—who have dominated the Royals in years past—both literally and figuratively.[61] Four players and both teams' managers were ejected from the game after confrontations over wild pitches.[61]
The Royals and White Sox played again in mid-August and on August 14 Kansas City allowed four consecutive home runs in the sixth inning to White Sox batters, tying the MLB record.[62]Joel Peralta gave up the first three and Robinson Tejeda allowed the last home run after a pitching change.[62]
José Guillén had to be restrained from a heckling fan during the fourth inning of a 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers on August 26.[63] Royals third base coach Luis Silverio and others restrained Guillén, while security escorted to a new seat in Kauffman Stadium.[63] Guillén met with Royals general manager Dayton Moore to discuss Guillén's public outburst, his fourth of the season.[63] Royals manager Trey Hillman did not see the incident take place.[63] "I was actually in the toilet, so I didn't see it", Hillman said.[63] "Managers do have to use the restroom and I guess I picked a bad time to be in the restroom. I found out about it a half inning later. We talked about it briefly. There's no sense on commenting on it."[63]
Through 114 games, the Royals were just 7 games under .500, but winning only 7 out of 27 games in the month of August effectively assured Kansas City of another losing season.
September
Too bad this isn't our August...It's a step forward that we need to realize, take, use and finish up strong so we have some good momentum going into the offseason.
— John Buck on the Royals' strong finish in September.[64]
Going into September, it seemed that the Royals' 7–20 record in August had doomed them to a last-place finish in the American League Central,[65] but the team's best September since the 1977 season helped erase the losing record in the previous month. The Royals took control of fourth place in the division with another three-game sweep of Detroit.[64]
The Royals tied their win total from the 2007 season (69) with a victory over the Seattle Mariners on September 18.[66] The victory was the team's seventh consecutive victory.[66]
In their final series of the season, the Twins hosted the Royals.[67] The Twins hold a ½ game lead in the American League Central over the White Sox, and the Royals won two of three games, leading to a one-game playoff between the Twins and White Sox.
The Royals finished the season with a 75–87 record, their best since 2003 thanks to an 18–8 mark in September.[6]
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team was founded as an expansion franchise in 1969, and have made four World Series trips, winning in 1985 and 2015, and losing in 1980 and 2014. Outside of a dominant 10-year stretch between 1976 and 1985, and a brief, albeit dominant, resurgence from 2013 to 2015, the Royals have combined for a bottom-ten all time winning percentage in MLB history.
José Manuel Guillén is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. Guillén played for ten Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in his career.
Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp is an American former professional baseball outfielder and MiLB team manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Oakland Athletics. While primarily a center fielder throughout his career, Crisp also played left field for the Athletics and during his stints with the Indians. With the Red Sox, he won the 2007 World Series over the Colorado Rockies. He served as manager of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the MLB Draft League in 2021.
Jeremy David Affeldt is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He threw and batted left-handed and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants.
Jeffrey Thomas Montgomery is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During a 13-year baseball career, he pitched from 1987 to 1999, primarily for the Kansas City Royals.
Brian Patrick Bannister is an American director of pitching for the Chicago White Sox. He is a former professional baseball starting pitcher who played for the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2006 through 2010. He played college baseball as a walk-on for the University of Southern California. Bannister was selected by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft. He previously served as assistant pitching coach and vice president of pitching development for the Boston Red Sox.
Bryan Paul Bullington is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Bullington was the first overall selection in the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. In Major League Baseball (MLB), he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, and Kansas City Royals. He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Hiroshima Carp and the Orix Buffaloes.
Ramón Emilio Ramírez is a Dominican former relief pitcher. He pitched for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Alexander Jonathan Gordon is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professionally, Gordon attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he played college baseball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
John Robert Bale is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas City Royals.
James Anthony Shields, nicknamed "Big Game James", is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2006 through 2012, the Kansas City Royals in 2013 and 2014, the San Diego Padres in 2015 and 2016, and the Chicago White Sox from 2016 to 2018. He was an All Star in 2011.
Christopher Ryan Getz is an American professional baseball executive and former player. A second baseman, Getz played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays from 2008 to 2014. Getz currently serves as the vice president and general manager for the White Sox.
The following is a detailed history of the Kansas City Royals, a Major League Baseball team that began play in 1969 in Kansas City, Missouri. The team is currently in the American League Central Division. The franchise has won two wild card berths, seven division titles, four league championships, and two World Series titles.
The 2006 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 106th season. They won the ALCS. They represented the American League in the World Series before falling to the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 1. The season was their 106th since they entered the AL in 1901. It was their seventh season since opening Comerica Park in 2000, and the first since 1993 where the team finished with a winning record and made the playoffs for the first time since 1987.
Thomas Brad "Trey" Hillman is an American professional baseball coach. He has also served as the manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League, the Kansas City Royals in the American League and the SK Wyverns in the KBO League. Therefore, he is the only person to have served as manager in these three countries. He has also been a coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and the Miami Marlins.
The 2009 Kansas City Royals season was the 41st season for the franchise, and their 39th at Kauffman Stadium. The season began on April 7 with a game against the Chicago White Sox at U. S. Cellular Field, which Chicago won. On April 10, the Royals hosted the New York Yankees in the first game at the newly renovated Kauffman Stadium for the Royals' home opener. Interleague opponents included the St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Vincent Michael Mazzaro is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, and San Francisco Giants.
The 2011 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 111th season. The season began on March 31 at New York against the Yankees, and the home opener was on April 8 against the Kansas City Royals. The Tigers honored the late Sparky Anderson during the season. The Tigers sent five players to the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game: starting pitcher Justin Verlander, first baseman Miguel Cabrera, catcher Alex Avila, shortstop Jhonny Peralta, and closer José Valverde. The regular season concluded September 28 at home against the Cleveland Indians, with the Tigers holding a 95–67 record.
The Kansas City Royals' season of 2011 was the 43rd for the Royals franchise. It was the fifth full season with Dayton Moore as general manager. The team was managed by Ned Yost in his first full season with the Royals. It was the 26th straight year of the Royals missing the playoffs.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2015 throughout the world.
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