178-575: The 1985 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball 's (MLB) 1985 season . The 82nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals and the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals . The Royals upset the heavily favored Cardinals in seven games. The Series was popularly known as
356-513: A complete game . A pitcher's duel unfolded between Danny Cox and Charlie Leibrandt , the tough-luck loser in Game 2. The game was marked by controversy. In the fourth inning of the scoreless game, the Royals' Frank White may have stolen second base, but was ruled out in a close call. The batter, Pat Sheridan , hit a single to right field two pitches later. If White had been on base when Sheridan singled,
534-523: A 13–5 record in interleague play, the best in the American League. The team finished the season in fourth place in the division with a 75–87 record. Prior to the 2009 season, the Royals renovated Kauffman Stadium, and after the season began, the Royals ended April at the top of the AL Central, both of which raised excitement levels among fans. However, the team faded as the season progressed and finished
712-481: A 3–4 pattern due to World War II travel restrictions; in 1944 , the normal pattern was followed because both teams were based in the same home ballpark. Gambling and game-fixing had been a problem in professional baseball from the beginning; star pitcher Jim Devlin was banned for life in 1877 when the National League was just two years old. Baseball's gambling problems came to a head in 1919, when eight players of
890-605: A 7–3 deficit in the eighth. The Royals then swept the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 2014 American League Division Series . In Game 1 of the ALDS, the score was 2–2 going into the 11th inning, when Mike Moustakas hit a game-winning solo home run. The next day, Kansas City beat the Angels 4–1 in another extra-innings affair, in the process setting an MLB postseason record of three straight extra-inning wins. The Royals then completed
1068-530: A 7–6 Red Sox victory. The National and American Leagues operated under essentially identical rules until 1973, when the American League adopted the designated hitter (DH) rule, allowing its teams to use another hitter to bat in place of the (usually) weak-hitting pitcher. The National League did not adopt the DH rule. This presented a problem for the World Series, whose two contestants would now be playing their regular-season games under different rules. From 1973 to 1975,
1246-637: A Dodgers team trailing 4–3 in the ninth. After getting the first two outs, Eckersley walked Mike Davis of the Dodgers, who were playing without Gibson, their best position player and the NL MVP. Gibson had injured himself in the NLCS and was expected to miss the entire World Series. Yet, despite not being able to walk without a noticeable limp, Gibson surprised all in attendance at Dodger Stadium (and all watching on TV) by pinch-hitting. After two quick strikes and then working
1424-465: A World Series title. It would be the Cardinals' last World Series appearance until 2004 . The Cardinals did not win another World Series until 2006 . The Royals did not play in another postseason game until the 2014 American League Wild Card Game and did not win another World Series until the following season, in 2015 . The introduction of interleague play to major league baseball in 1997 allowed
1602-457: A baseball team that consistently loses millions of dollars and had little prospect of making money because it was in a small city." If no owner could be found the Kauffman restrictions were to end on January 1, 2002, and the team was to be sold to the highest bidder. In 1999, New York City lawyer and minor league baseball owner Miles Prentice , vowing not to move the team, bid $ 75 million for
1780-495: A century (until the 2016 season) for their next trophy. They did not appear in the World Series from 1945 until 2016, the longest drought of any MLB club. The New York Yankees purchased Babe Ruth 's contract from the Boston Red Sox after the 1919 season, appeared in their first World Series two years later in 1921 , and became frequent participants thereafter. The 1921 World Series was the first to be broadcast on radio. Over
1958-552: A clean sixth inning and Ken Dayley kept the Royals off the scoreboard for the last two innings, but it was not enough as the Cardinals could not score against Saberhagen. The Cardinals' .185 batting average was the lowest for a seven-game World Series until the New York Yankees hit .183 in the 2001 World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks . The Cardinals also scored only thirteen total runs—an all-time low for
SECTION 10
#17328690910422136-444: A clear view of Clark's throw and Worrell's catch. Denkinger was scheduled to be the home plate umpire in Game 7. One night after becoming a father, Bret Saberhagen tossed a five-hitter and got all the offense he needed when Darryl Motley homered to left off John Tudor in the second inning, after a walk to Steve Balboni . In the third, Lonnie Smith led off with a walk, and with one out George Brett hit an infield single. After
2314-456: A criminal conspiracy trial. Meanwhile, to deal with the fallout from the scandal baseball owners had agreed to reform the discredited National Commission. However, when they offered esteemed federal judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis a role on the reformed Commission, he quickly made clear he would only accept an appointment as the sole Commissioner of Baseball with virtually unchecked authority over
2492-431: A devastating hip injury while playing football in the off-season, so the Royals waived him during spring training in 1991. Though the team dropped out of contention from 1990 to 1992, the Royals still could generally be counted on to post winning records through the strike-shortened 1994 season . With no playoff appearances despite the winning records during this era, many of the team's highlights instead centered around
2670-656: A division winner in the other league if it had a better record or wins the tie-breaking procedure). The World Series has been contested 120 times through the 2024 season, with the AL team winning 68 times and the NL team 52. Before 1882, when the American Association was formed as a second major league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (1871–1875) and then the National League (founded 1876) represented
2848-482: A double steal, Tudor issued walks to Frank White to load the bases and Jim Sundberg to force in Smith, making it 3–0. Tudor was replaced with Bill Campbell after only 2 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings. Balboni singled to left off Campbell to score Brett and White to make it 5–0. Tudor walked four and was charged with all five runs. In the dugout, he angrily punched an electrical fan, cutting his pitching hand. The Royals blew
3026-506: A dubious franchise record during the season, allowing 42 runs in a three-day span from July 25 to 27. The Royals began 2011 with a hot start, compiling 10–4 record after 14 games, but success faded as the season progressed. The Royals last had a .500 record at 22–22, and by the All-Star break, the Royals had a record of 37–54, the worst in the American League. Almost all of the Royals' bullpen was made up of 2011 minor league call ups, in addition to
3204-493: A history of tough luck in the postseason. The previous year, he had lost Game 3 of the 1984 ALCS , 1–0, to the Detroit Tigers when he pitched a three-hit complete game. He lost Game 4 in the 1985 ALCS in the ninth inning. Clinging to a two-run lead in the ninth of this game, manager Dick Howser opted to not send in his relief ace Dan Quisenberry to close out the game. Leibrandt allowed a leadoff double to Willie McGee , then
3382-451: A home run in the second off of Bud Black . Next inning, Willie McGee homered also to make it 2–0 Cardinals, who added to their lead in the fifth when Terry Pendleton tripled with one out and scored on Black's throwing error on Tom Nieto 's bunt attempt. The best chance for the Royals to score was in the seventh inning, when they loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. With pinch-hitter Hal McRae up for Buddy Biancalana, he grounded to
3560-570: 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
3738-520: A period of 45 years from 1920 to 1964, the Yankees played in 29 World Series championships, winning 20. The team's dynasty reached its apex between 1949 and 1964 when the Yankees reached the World Series 14 times in 16 years, helped by an agreement with the Kansas City Athletics , after that team moved from Philadelphia during 1954–1955 offseason, whereby the teams made several deals advantageous to
SECTION 20
#17328690910423916-425: 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 from 1995 to 2012. For 28 consecutive seasons (1986–2013),
4094-413: A prologue to the modern baseball era. As late as approximately 1960, some sources treated the 19th-century Series on an equal basis with the post-19th-century series. After about 1930, however, many authorities list the start of the World Series in 1903 and discuss the earlier contests separately. (For example, the 1929 World Almanac and Book of Facts lists "Baseball World's Championships 1884–1928" in
4272-512: A reputation as one of the American League West's top teams throughout the late 1980s. The club posted a winning record in three of the four seasons following its 1985 World Series championship , while developing young stars such as Bo Jackson , Tom Gordon , and Kevin Seitzer . The Royals finished the 1989 season with a 92–70 record (third-best in the major leagues) but did not qualify for
4450-406: A return to winning records. For most of the 2013 season , the Royals hovered near .500. The team also did not commit an error in its first seven games (for 64 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings) for the first time in team history. On September 22, the Royals won their 82nd game of the season to clinch the franchise's first winning season since 2003. The Royals finished the season 86–76 and in third place in
4628-496: A second major league. No championship series were played in 1901 or 1902 as the National and American Leagues fought each other for business supremacy (in 1902, the top teams instead opted to compete in a football championship ). After two years of bitter competition and player raiding, the National and American Leagues made peace and, as part of the accord, several pairs of teams squared off for interleague exhibition games following
4806-580: A seven-game series—scoring only once in the final 26 innings of the series. If they had held on for the win in Game 6, they still would have been outscored in the series 15–13. This was Kansas City's second major professional sports championship, joining the Chiefs ' victory in Super Bowl IV in January 1970. These franchises have since added four more championships, with the Royals winning the 2015 World Series , and
4984-411: A single table, but the 1943 edition lists "Baseball World's Championships 1903–1942". ) Following the collapse of the American Association after the 1891 season, the National League was again the only major league. The league championship was awarded in 1892 by a playoff between split season champions. This scheme was abandoned after one season. Beginning in 1893—and continuing until divisional play
5162-410: A starter but pressed into relief. Andújar allowed an RBI single to White, increasing the Royals lead to 10–0. With Sundberg at the plate (the Royals had batted around), Andújar twice charged home plate umpire Denkinger to disagree with his strike zone. First, Denkinger called an Andújar pitch a ball. Herzog, who had been berating Denkinger for most of the game, rushed from the dugout to defend Andújar, and
5340-468: A strong farm system and developed future star pitchers Paul Splittorff , Dennis Leonard , and Steve Busby , infielders George Brett and Frank White , and outfielder Al Cowens . Under these young players, the Royals built a core set up for future success. In 1971, the Royals had their first winning season, with manager Bob Lemon leading them to a second-place finish. In 1973, under manager Jack McKeon ,
5518-411: A week of each other. The team subsequently fell apart completely, losing 104 games and breaking the franchise record set just two years earlier. The Royals did, however, see promising seasons from two rookies, center fielder David DeJesus and starting pitcher Zack Greinke . The team continued a youth movement in 2005, but finished with a 56–106 record (.346), a full 43 games out of first place, marking
1985 World Series - Misplaced Pages Continue
5696-571: Is remembered for the iconic home run by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Kirk Gibson with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1. The Dodgers were huge underdogs against the 104-win Oakland Athletics, who had swept the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS. Baseball's top relief pitcher, Dennis Eckersley , closed out all four games in the ALCS, and he appeared ready to do the same in Game 1 against
5874-400: Is the most recent World Series in which the designated hitter was not used in an AL baseball park. From 1976 to 1985, the DH was used in all games in even-numbered years. In odd-numbered years, like this World Series, the pitchers from both were required to bat for themselves throughout the series, as in the National League. Beginning with the next World Series, the DH rule was used only at
6052-590: The 1905 Series and beat the Philadelphia Athletics four games to one. Since then the Series has been held every year except 1994, when it was canceled due to a players' strike . The name of the event, initially known as the World's Championship Series, was gradually shortened in common usage to "World's Series" and, by the 1930s, to "World Series". The list of postseason rules evolved over time. From 1919 to 1921 ,
6230-578: The 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates , 1958 New York Yankees , 1968 Detroit Tigers , and the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates . The 1985 Royals had also come back from a three games to one deficit to win the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays , making them the first and so far only team to do so (the championship series had changed from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven format in 1985). The six elimination games won by
6408-466: The 2015 World Series – the first championship for the Royals since 1985 – beating the New York Mets four games to one. The Royals entered the 2015 All-Star break with the best record in the American League at 52–34. The team continued its momentum into the second half of the season, and on July 26, Royals management traded three prospects Brandon Finnegan , John Lamb Archived April 7, 2016, at
6586-529: The California Angels , then defeated the Toronto Blue Jays four games to three in the AL Championship Series . The Cardinals were seeking to win their NL-leading 10th World Series title, while the Royals were seeking their first World Series title. The Royals were completing one of the most successful decades by any expansion team, with six division titles and two pennants from 1976 to 1985. This
6764-772: The Chicago White Sox were alleged to have conspired to throw the 1919 World Series . The Sox had won the Series in 1917 and were heavy favorites to beat the Cincinnati Reds in 1919, but first baseman Chick Gandil had other plans. Gandil, in collaboration with gambler Joseph "Sport" Sullivan, approached his teammates and got six of them to agree to throw the Series: starting pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Lefty Williams , shortstop Swede Risberg , left fielder Shoeless Joe Jackson , center fielder Happy Felsch , and utility infielder Fred McMullin . Third baseman Buck Weaver knew of
6942-555: The Cincinnati Reds . The 1985 Kansas City Royals won the series four games to three over the St. Louis Cardinals. The key turning point of the series was a Kansas City win in Game Six aided by a controversial call by Don Denkinger at first base. Kansas City later won Game Seven 11–0 to take the series. The series is best remembered for its Game 6, which saw the Mets rally from a two-run deficit in
7120-513: The I-70 Series to be revived in regular season games each year. Through the 2022 season, the Cardinals lead the regular-season interleague series, 73-47, though Kansas City still holds the World Series win over St. Louis, as it was the last and only time the two teams have faced off in the postseason. World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since 1903 between
7298-486: The Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland after the 1967 season , Kansas City was left without major league baseball or, for the first time since 1883, professional baseball at all. The team was led by Charlie Finley , who explored many elaborate relocation plans and essentially shunned Kansas City before the team even relocated. An enraged Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri threatened to introduce legislation removing baseball's antitrust exemption unless Kansas City
1985 World Series - Misplaced Pages Continue
7476-519: The NL Central in 1998, replaced by the Detroit Tigers that moved from the AL East. At the start of the 1990s, the Royals had been hit with a double-whammy when General Manager John Schuerholz departed in 1990 and team owner Ewing Kauffman died in 1993. Shortly before Kauffman's death, he set up an unprecedented complex succession plan to keep the team in Kansas City. The team was donated at his death to
7654-562: The New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals , did not win their first championship until the 1920s; and three of the teams that were highly successful prior to 1920 (the Boston Red Sox , Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs ) went the rest of the 20th century without another World Series win. The Red Sox and White Sox finally won again in 2004 and 2005, respectively. The Cubs had to wait over
7832-631: The Oakland Athletics , and 1998 to 2000 by the Yankees. In an 18-year span from 1947 to 1964, except for 1948 and 1959, the World Series was played in New York City, featuring at least one of the three teams located in New York at the time. The Dodgers and Giants moved to California after the 1957 season, leaving the Yankees as the lone team in the city until the Mets were enfranchised in 1962. In 1947, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, and 1956, both teams in
8010-743: The Pittsburgh Pirates , in 1971 and 1979, who defeated the Baltimore Orioles both times. The less successful side during this era also featured repeats. The Orioles themselves made multiple World Series appearances, including three consecutive: 1969, losing to the "amazing" seven-year-old franchise New York Mets , 1970, beating the Reds in their first World Series appearance of the decade, and their 1971 and 1979 defeats by Pittsburgh. The Los Angeles Dodgers lost to Oakland in 1974, and made back-to-back World Series appearances in 1977 and 1978, both losses to
8188-701: The Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins 4–3 in 12 innings. The Royals went 69–93 in their first season, highlighted by Lou Piniella , who won the AL Rookie of the Year Award . The team was quickly built through a number of trades engineered by its first General Manager, Cedric Tallis , who picked up center fielder Amos Otis , who became the team's first star, first baseman John Mayberry , who provided power, second baseman Cookie Rojas , shortstop Fred Patek , and designated hitter Hal McRae . The Royals also invested in
8366-528: The Wayback Machine , and Cody Reed for 2014 All-Star pitcher Johnny Cueto to help bolster its starting pitching rotation, as well as trading two pitchers to the Oakland Athletics for super-utility player Ben Zobrist . The team ended the regular season with a record of 95–67, the best in the entire American League, and the organization's best record since 1980 . The Royals faced the Houston Astros in
8544-565: The World Series Most Valuable Player Award . In their 17th season, the Royals won their first World Series title; their next appearance was 29 years later in 2014 against the San Francisco Giants , but they lost in seven games. A year later , the Royals won their second title, over the New York Mets . AL Kansas City Royals (4) vs. NL St. Louis Cardinals (3) When Lonnie Smith led off for
8722-570: The World War I "Work or Fight" order forcing an early end to that year's regular season, while some more recent editions have been played into November due to in-season delays and expansion of earlier postseason rounds. Because the series is played in the fall or autumn season in North America, it is often referred to as the Fall Classic . Before the AL and NL were split into divisions in 1969,
8900-410: The best-of-nine format first used in 1903 was employed. In 1925 , Brooklyn owner Charles Ebbets persuaded others to adopt as a permanent rule the 2–3–2 home game pattern first used in 1924 . Previously, the pattern had been to alternate by game or to make another arrangement convenient to both clubs. The 2–3–2 pattern has been used ever since save for the 1943 and 1945 World Series , which followed
9078-631: The " Show-Me Series " or the " I-70 Showdown Series ," as both cities are in the state of Missouri which is nicknamed the "Show Me State" and are connected by Interstate 70 . The Cardinals won the NL East division by three games over the New York Mets , then defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers four games to two in the NL Championship Series . The Royals won the AL West division by one game over
SECTION 50
#17328690910429256-407: The "Greatest of All Time" in their "World Series 100th Anniversary" countdown, with five of its games being decided by a single run, four games decided in the final at-bat and three games going into extra innings. The series was also notable for both participants having finished last in their divisions the year prior; no last place team before had ever finished first, let alone reached the World Series,
9434-621: The "inferiority" of the upstart American League. John McGraw , the Giants' manager, even went so far as to say that his Giants were already "world champions" since they were the champions of the "only real major league". At the time of the announcement, their new cross-town rivals, the New York Highlanders (now the New York Yankees ), were leading the AL, and the prospect of facing the Highlanders did not please Giants management. Boston won on
9612-489: The "out" sign, disallowing the home run. Enraged, Brett stormed out of the dugout toward McClelland and Martin, and McClelland ejected Brett. The homer was later reinstated by AL President Lee MacPhail , and the Royals won the game after it was resumed several weeks later. The 1983 season was also notable for some transitional changes in the Royals organization. First, owner Ewing Kauffman sold 49% of his interest to Memphis developer Avron Fogelman . Second, John Schuerholz
9790-468: The 15th manager in franchise history. The 2008 season began with the release of fan-favorite Mike Sweeney and the trade of Ángel Berroa to the Dodgers. Through 13 games in 2008, the Royals were 8–5 and in first place in the AL Central , a vast improvement over their start from the previous season. However, by the All-Star break, the Royals were again in losing territory, with their record buoyed only by
9968-633: The 1903 season. These series were arranged by the participating clubs, as the 1880s World's Series matches had been. One of them, a best-of-nine affair matching that year's pennant winners – the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NL and Boston Americans (later known as the Red Sox ) of the AL – has come to be regarded as the 1903 World Series . It had been arranged well in advance by the two club owners, as both teams were league leaders by large margins. Boston upset Pittsburgh by five games to three, winning with pitching depth behind Cy Young and Bill Dinneen and with
10146-610: 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
10324-591: The 1985 Series. He was behind the plate for the All-Star Game the following season, and he was named crew chief for the 1988 ALCS , 1991 World Series , and 1992 ALCS . He retired in 1998, ironically with his last game being at Kauffman Stadium on June 2, 1998. After retirement, Denkinger would lean into his fame of the blown call, regularly appearing at sports memorabilia shows (including ones in St. Louis) willing to autograph photos depicting "The Call". Nevertheless, many publications consider his blown call in Game 6 of
10502-700: The 1985 one of the biggest umpire blunders in MLB history. In 1987 , the Cardinals won the NLCS in seven games over the San Francisco Giants . In the World Series against the Minnesota Twins , after having fallen behind 2-0 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome , they won their next three games at home. However, back at the Metrodome, they lost the last two and again fell one game short of
10680-490: The 2006 season, including Doug Mientkiewicz , Mark Grudzielanek , Joe Mays and Scott Elarton . Nevertheless, the Royals struggled through another 100-loss season in 2006, becoming just the eleventh team in major league history to lose 100 games in three straight seasons. During the season Baird was fired as GM and replaced by Dayton Moore . Kansas City entered the 2007 season looking to rebound from four out of five seasons ending with at least 100 losses. The Royals outbid
10858-534: The 2014 season, the Royals had the longest playoff drought of any team in the four main American professional sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA). On July 21, 2014, the Royals had a losing record (48–50) and were eight games behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central standings. But spurred by a 22–5 record from July 22 to August 19 coinciding with a mediocre 12–15 stretch by the Tigers, the team surged into first place in
SECTION 60
#173286909104211036-423: The AL Central, securing the team's best winning percentage since 1994. The 2014 season featured a return to the postseason for the first time in 29 years, and what would unfold as a historic playoff run from the Wild Card all the way to the 2014 World Series . Anchored by the "HDH" trio of Kelvin Herrera , Wade Davis , and Greg Holland , the bullpen became one of the most dominant in MLB history. Entering
11214-413: The AL Central. He was named the American League Manager of the Year for his efforts and shortstop Ángel Berroa was named AL Rookie of the Year . From the 2004 season through the 2012 season , the Royals posted nine consecutive losing records, the longest streak in team history. In six of those seasons, the team finished in last place in the American League Central, and in eight of those nine seasons
11392-411: The AL Central. The 2012 team saw more of the same, as they improved by one game to 72–90, but finished one spot better in the division. The 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was hosted by the Royals at Kauffman Stadium on July 10, 2012 (in addition to the 2012 Home Run Derby , All-Star Futures Game and Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game during the All-Star break), which
11570-407: The AL Central. The Royals reached the top of the division standings on August 11, after winning their eighth game in a row. This marked the latest date the Royals had led their division since August 29, 2003. The team retained its division lead for a month, before falling out of first-place permanently on September 12. They finished the 2014 regular season with a record 89–73, still the most wins for
11748-443: The AL representative's park. The 1985 World Series is best remembered for an incorrect safe call made by first base umpire Don Denkinger in Game 6. With St. Louis leading the World Series 3-2 and in possession of a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, Denkinger incorrectly called Jorge Orta safe. The Royals won the game 2-1 on a two-run walk-off single and then won Game 7 by a score of 11-0. The 1985 World Series marked
11926-434: The American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays , the Royals eventually rallied to win the series 4–3, highlighted by a go-ahead 3-run triple from Jim Sundberg against Blue Jay's ace Dave Stieb in Game 7. In the 1985 World Series (nicknamed the "I-70 Series" because the two teams are both located in the state of Missouri and connected by Interstate 70 ) against the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals ,
12104-438: The Bay Area and killed 63 people. Television viewers saw the video signal deteriorate and heard Michaels say "I'll tell you what, we're having an earth--" before the feed from Candlestick Park was lost. Fans filing into the stadium saw Candlestick sway visibly during the quake. Television coverage later resumed, using backup generators, with Michaels becoming a news reporter on the unfolding disaster. Approximately 30 minutes after
12282-400: The Boston Red Sox in seven games in the World Series . In the 1996 World Series , the New York Yankees lost their first two games at home against the defending 1995 World Series champion Atlanta Braves before winning four straight to claim the title. The Royals also were the fifth team in MLB history to come back from a 3–1 deficit to win a best-of-seven World Series, the previous teams being
12460-523: The Cardinals a World Series. Denkinger contacted Major League Baseball Security, which in turn contacted the FBI , when he received a particularly menacing letter with no return address that said that if the writer saw Denkinger in person, he would "blow him away" with a .357 Magnum . According to Denkinger, FBI agents visited the letter writer and told him, "You're done. This is the end of it. You will not correspond with him in any manner, and life will go on." Denkinger had other big umpiring assignments after
12638-473: The Cardinals tied it off of Danny Jackson in the third on Willie McGee 's RBI groundout with runners on second and third. Next inning, Tito Landrum doubled with one out, then scored on late-season acquisition César Cedeño 's RBI double to give Jackson the loss despite Jackson throwing seven innings of two-run ball. The Cardinals padded their lead in the ninth off of Dan Quisenberry when Tom Herr singled to lead off and scored on Jack Clark 's double. This
12816-519: The Cardinals' flagship KMOX simulcast the CBS Radio coverage due to Buck's status as the team's primary local announcer during the regular season, although regular analyst Mike Shannon was sidelined in favor of Anderson. The Royals became the first team ever to win the World Series after losing the first two games at home. The following year, the New York Mets accomplished the same feat by defeating
12994-482: The Chiefs winning Super Bowls LIV , LVII and LVIII . 1985 World Series (4–3): Kansas City Royals (A.L.) over St. Louis Cardinals (N.L.) ABC televised the series, with play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and color commentators Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver . This was the first World Series broadcast for McCarver, who would go on to call a record 24 World Series telecasts with ABC, CBS and Fox . Howard Cosell
13172-493: The Cubs and Blue Jays for free agent righty Gil Meche , signing him to a five-year, $ 55 million contract, the largest contract in Royals history. Reliever Octavio Dotel also inked a one-year, $ 5 million contract. The team also added several new prospects, including Alex Gordon and Billy Butler . Among Dayton Moore 's first acts as General Manager was instating a new motto for the team: "True. Blue. Tradition." In June 2007,
13350-614: The Curse of the Bambino superstition used to explain the Red Sox's championship drought after the 1918 World Series. The 1987 Minnesota Twins became the first team in the history of the World Series to win the championship by winning all 4 games they hosted when they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals. They repeated this 4 years later in 1991 when they defeated the Atlanta Braves. The 1988 World Series
13528-474: The DH rule was used in all World Series games, regardless of home team. The 1984 Detroit Tigers gained distinction as just the third team in major league history (after the 1927 New York Yankees and 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers) to lead a season wire-to-wire, from opening day through their World Series victory. In the process, Tigers skipper Sparky Anderson became the first manager to win a World Series title in both leagues, having previously won in 1975 and 1976 with
13706-476: The Giants 10–0. In game seven, the Royals started Jeremy Guthrie against Giants pitcher Tim Hudson . Guthrie lasted 3 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings before he was replaced by Kelvin Herrera , who himself lasted 2 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. He was then replaced by Wade Davis , who pitched in two innings. Closer Greg Holland ended the game. On the Giants side, Hudson lasted only 1 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings before he
13884-558: The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and Affiliated Trusts with operating decisions of the team decided by a five-member group chaired by Wal-Mart executive David Glass . According to the plan the Royals had six years to find a local owner for the team before opening ownership to an outside bidder. The new owners would be required to say they would keep the team in Kansas City. Kauffman had feared that new owners would move it noting, "No one would want to buy
14062-447: The National League won 8–0. The 2012 season marked the third time the " Midsummer Classic " was held in Kansas City. On December 10, 2012, in an attempt to strengthen the pitching staff (which was among the worst in baseball in 2012), the Royals traded for Rays pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis , giving Tampa top prospects Wil Myers , Jake Odorizzi , Mike Montgomery , and Patrick Leonard in return. This trade helped catalyze
14240-488: The Royals adopted their iconic " powder blue " road uniforms and moved from Municipal Stadium to the brand-new Royals Stadium (now known as Kauffman Stadium). The 1973 All-Star Game was hosted at Royals Stadium, with Otis and Mayberry in the AL starting lineup. The event was previously held at Municipal Stadium in 1960 , when the Athletics were based in Kansas City. Manager Whitey Herzog replaced McKeon in 1975 , and
14418-443: The Royals again fell behind, three games to one. After Danny Jackson pitched the Royals to a 6–1 win in game five, the Cardinals and Royals headed back to Kansas City for game six. Facing elimination, the Royals trailed 1–0 in the bottom of the 9th inning, when Jorge Orta led off, hitting a bouncing ground ball to Cardinals 1st basemen Jack Clark , who flipped the ball back to pitcher Todd Worrell at first base. The ball beat Orta to
14596-595: 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
14774-479: The Royals had their first winning month since July 2003 and followed it up with a winning July. The Royals finished the season 69–93, but 2007 marked the club's first season with fewer than 100 losses since 2003. Manager Buddy Bell resigned following the 2007 season. The Royals hired Trey Hillman , formerly the manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters and a minor league manager with the New York Yankees , to be
14952-432: The Royals quickly became the dominant franchise in the American League's Western Division. After a second-place, 91 win season, they won three straight division championships from 1976 to 1978, including the franchise's only 100-win season in 1977 . However, the Royals lost to the New York Yankees in three straight American League Championship Series encounters. After the Royals finished in second place in 1979, Herzog
15130-401: The Royals reduced payroll by trading pitcher David Cone and outfielder Brian McRae , then continued their salary dump in the 1995 season. The team payroll, which had previously remained among the league's highest, was sliced in half from $ 40.5 million in 1994 (fourth-highest in the major leagues) to $ 18.5 million in 1996 (second-lowest in the major leagues). As attendance slid and
15308-471: The Royals represent a Major League record for a single postseason, a record which would later be equaled by the 2012 San Francisco Giants . The Royals also became the first team to win two Game 7s in one postseason. The 2017 Houston Astros are the only other team to achieve this feat. In the immediate aftermath of the 1985 World Series, umpire Don Denkinger received many hateful letters from Cardinals fans due to his blown call in Game 6 that essentially cost
15486-435: The Royals since 1989 . Though the team finished one game behind Detroit in the AL Central, the Royals secured their first-ever wild card berth. After qualifying for the postseason, the Royals embarked on a record-setting eight-game winning streak. They hosted the Oakland Athletics in the 2014 American League Wild Card Game and won 9–8 on a Salvador Pérez walk-off single in the 12th inning, having earlier rallied back from
15664-441: The Royals would have likely taken a 1–0 lead. Instead, Leibrandt and Cox traded scoreless innings until the eighth, when pinch-hitter Brian Harper singled home Terry Pendleton , who had singled earlier, to give the Cardinals a 1–0 lead. The Cardinals' 1–0 lead entering the bottom of the eighth was the result of St. Louis taking the upper hand after two situations that were mirror images of each other: In consecutive half-innings –
15842-470: The Royals, he became the first player in MLB history to be traded from a team (the St. Louis Cardinals ) during a season and play against that team in the World Series the same season. John Tudor scattered seven hits in 6 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings for the Cards and won with relief help from Todd Worrell . The Royals struck first in the second on Steve Balboni 's RBI single with runners on first and second, but
16020-430: The World Series alternated from year to year between the AL and NL. From 2003 to 2016, home-field advantage was given to the league that won that year's All-Star Game . Starting in 2017, home-field advantage was awarded to the league champion team with the better regular-season win–loss record, regardless of that team's seeding in earlier playoff rounds (i.e. a Wild Card team in one league will have home-field advantage over
16198-565: The World Series did not include a DH. Starting in 1976, the DH rule was used in the World Series held in even-numbered years. The Cincinnati Reds swept the 1976 Series in four games, using the same nine-man lineup in each contest. Dan Driessen was the Reds' DH during the series, thereby becoming the National League's first designated hitter. From 1986 to 2019, and in 2021, the DH was used only in World Series games played at American League parks, and pitchers were required to bat in games played at National League parks. In 2020, and starting in 2022,
16376-467: The World Series were from New York, with the Yankees playing against either the Dodgers or Giants. In 1958, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants took their long-time rivalry to the west coast, moving to Los Angeles and San Francisco , respectively, bringing Major League Baseball west of St. Louis and Kansas City . The Dodgers were the first of the two clubs to contest a World Series on
16554-436: The Yankees, until ended by new Athletics' owner Charles O. Finley. During that span, the Yankees played in all World Series except 1954 and 1959 , winning nine of them. From 1949 to 1953, the Yankees won the World Series five years in a row; from 1936 to 1939 the Yankees won four World Series Championships in a row. There are only two other occasions when a team has won at least three consecutive World Series: 1972 to 1974 by
16732-536: The Yankees. Game 6 of the 1975 World Series is regarded by most as one of the greatest World Series games ever played. It found the Boston Red Sox winning in the 12th inning in Fenway Park , defeating the Cincinnati Reds to force a seventh and deciding game. The game is best remembered for its exciting lead changes, nail-biting turns of events, and a game-winning walk-off home run by Carlton Fisk , resulting in
16910-468: The average MLB salary continued to rise, rather than pay higher salaries or lose their players to free agency, the Royals traded their remaining stars such as Kevin Appier , Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye . By 1999, the team's payroll had fallen again to $ 16.5 million. Making matters worse, most of the younger players that the Royals received in exchange for these All-Stars proved of little value, setting
17088-415: The bag, but umpire Don Denkinger called him safe, and following a dropped popup by Clark and a passed ball, the Royals rallied to score two runs, winning on a walk-off single from pinch hitter Dane Iorg to send the series to game seven. In game seven Bret Saberhagen shutout the Cardinals as Kansas City dominated the Cardinals 11–0, clinching their first title in franchise history. The Royals maintained
17266-434: The ball. "I was in good position, but Worrell is tall, the throw was high, and I couldn't watch his glove and his feet at the same time," Denkinger told Sports Illustrated . "It was a soft toss, and there was so much crowd noise, I couldn't hear the ball hit the glove." ABC showed the play from three different angles; two were high above the field and one was from behind third base, all with what Denkinger claimed he didn't get:
17444-558: The bases loaded and one out, Royals pinch hitter Dane Iorg (a former Cardinal who had won a championship ring with them in 1982 ) blooped a single to right field. Concepción scored the tying run and Sundberg approached the plate with the winning run. Right fielder Andy Van Slyke 's throw was on target, but Sundberg slid home safely with the game-winning run. The Royals celebrated the rally, and mobbed home plate. The Cardinals went to their dressing rooms, only to find champagne waiting for them and plastic over their lockers in anticipation for
17622-517: The best win–loss record at the end of the regular season. A structured playoff series began in 1969 when both the National and American Leagues were reorganized into two divisions each, East and West. The two division winners within each league played each other in a best-of-five League Championship Series to determine who would advance to the World Series. In 1985, the format changed to best-of-seven. The National League Championship Series (NLCS) and American League Championship Series (ALCS), since
17800-414: The bottom of the 10th inning, despite having two outs and no one on base. The Red Sox, who held a 3–2 series lead, were twice one strike away from securing the championship, but failed to close out the inning as the Mets tie on a Bob Stanley wild pitch & win off an error by Boston first baseman Bill Buckner. Due to the Mets claiming the series in Game 7, the Game 6 collapse entered baseball lore as part of
17978-469: The bottom of the ninth, Herzog called on rookie reliever Todd Worrell to relieve setup man Ken Dayley , who had pitched the eighth and would have been the winner had the Cardinals won. The first batter, pinch-hitter Jorge Orta , sent a chopping bouncer to the right of Jack Clark . He tossed the ball to Worrell, who tagged the bag ahead of Orta, but Clark's toss was behind Worrell, causing the running Orta to come between umpire Don Denkinger and his view of
18156-465: The bottom of the seventh and the top of the eighth – both teams had runners on first and second with their respective starting pitcher coming to bat. Kansas City manager Dick Howser opted to leave Leibrandt in the game to bat, but the Royals starter struck out to end the inning. In contrast, Whitey Herzog pulled Cardinals starter Cox for pinch hitter Harper, who then had the game's first hit with runners in scoring position to put St. Louis ahead 1–0. In
18334-547: The celebration that never came. Denkinger stated that he still believed he had made the right call until he later met with Commissioner Peter Ueberroth after the game and had the opportunity to see the replay himself. He would later claim that he was waiting to hear the ball land in Worrell's glove while watching the bag for Orta's foot. Due to the crowd noise in Royals Stadium, he ruled Orta safe because he never heard Worrell catch
18512-559: The champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best-of-seven playoff , is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy . The series is traditionally played in October, although before expansion of the regular-season schedule from 154 to 162 games the event occasionally started in late September (most recently in 1955 ) and the entire 1918 series took place early in that month due to
18690-448: The count full, Gibson hit a home run to right, inspiring iconic pronouncements by two legendary broadcasters calling the game, Vin Scully (on TV) and Jack Buck (on radio). On NBC, after Gibson limped around the bases, Scully famously exclaimed, "The impossible has happened!" and on radio, Buck equally famously exclaimed, "I don't believe what I just saw!" Gibson's home run set the tone for
18868-478: The earthquake, Commissioner Fay Vincent ordered the game to be postponed. Fans, workers, and the teams evacuated a blacked-out (although still sunlit) Candlestick. Game 3 was finally played on October 27, and Oakland won that day and the next to complete a four-game sweep. The 1991 World Series saw the Minnesota Twins defeating the Atlanta Braves four games to three to win the championship. ESPN selected it as
19046-471: The eighth off of Jeff Lahti on shortstop Ozzie Smith 's throwing error on Danny Jackson's ground ball, then in the ninth on Pat Sheridan 's RBI double. Jackson was the winning pitcher, following the same formula and pitching rotation as the Royals did in the ALCS where Jackson also won Game 5. Jackson threw an immaculate inning in the 7th, becoming the only pitcher to do so during a postseason game to date. Jackson scattered five hits, allowing only one run in
19224-581: The end of George Brett's career, such as his third and final batting title in 1990—which made him the first player to win batting titles in three different decades—and his 3,000th hit . In 1994, the Royals moved from the AL West to the newly created AL Central along with the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins , joined by the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers from the AL East . The Brewers left for
19402-407: The ensuing playoffs, the Royals incurred both a 2-0 and a 3–1 series deficit in both rounds of the playoffs, but always managed to claw their way back into the series. In game three of the American League Championship Series , with KC down 2 games to 0, George Brett homered twice and doubled off the fence in right field to put Kansas City back into the series. With the Royals down three games to one in
19580-408: The expansion to best-of-seven, are always played in a 2–3–2 format: Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 are played in the stadium of the team that has home-field advantage, and Games 3, 4, and 5 are played in the stadium of the team that does not. Night games were played in the major leagues beginning with the Cincinnati Reds in 1935, but the World Series remained a strictly daytime event for years thereafter. In
19758-468: The field. Andújar was suspended for the first ten games of the 1986 season for his outburst. Although it has been rumored that Herzog sent in Andújar specifically to bait Denkinger, Herzog himself has said several times that Andújar was the only pitcher who still had anything left in his arm. After Game 5 loser Bob Forsch 's first pitch was wild to score Brett, he got out of the fifth-inning nightmare. He pitched
19936-414: The fifth and final game of the 1949 World Series , a Series game was finished under the lights for the first time due to encroaching darkness in the ninth inning. The first scheduled night World Series game was Game 4 of the 1971 World Series at Three Rivers Stadium . Afterward, World Series games were frequently scheduled at night, when television audiences were larger. Game 6 of the 1987 World Series
20114-461: The fifth time in World Series history that a team came back from a three games to one deficit to win a championship, and the first in which that team lost the first two games of the series at home (in the following year's Series, the New York Mets won after losing the first two series games at home). Bret Saberhagen 's victories in Games 3 and 7, allowing only a single run across his two starts, earned him
20292-460: The financial collapse of the Royals' companion expansion team, the Seattle Pilots , who had to begin play in 1969 before they were ready (the league required new franchises to enter in pairs to preserve symmetry for scheduling purposes). Pharmaceutical executive Ewing Kauffman won the bidding for the new Kansas City team. He conducted a contest to determine the best and most appropriate name for
20470-458: The first game against starter Madison Bumgarner . The Royals bounced back with a 7–2 win in game two to tie the series at 1–1. The Royals won game three in San Francisco 3–2 to take the series lead for the first time. In game four, the Royals lost 11–4, which tied the series with the Giants. In game five, they lost 5–0 to the Giants against starter Madison Bumgarner . In game six, the Royals beat
20648-403: The first second baseman in the history of the World Series to hit in the clean-up spot in the batting order. White came through with a two-run home run off of Andújar in the fifth after George Brett got on base. The Cardinals scored their only run of the game in the sixth off of Bret Saberhagen on consecutive singles by Ozzie Smith , Tom Herr , and Jack Clark . The Royals padded their lead in
20826-403: The fix but declined to participate, hitting .324 for the series from 11 hits and committing no errors in the field. The Sox, who were promised $ 100,000 for cooperating, proceeded to lose the best-of-nine series in eight games, pitching poorly, hitting poorly and making many errors. Though he took the money, Jackson insisted to his death that he played to the best of his ability in the series (he
21004-401: The following year. The series-deciding seventh game was a scoreless tie (0–0) through the regular nine innings, and went into extra innings; Minnesota won by a score of 1–0 in the 10th inning, after their starting pitcher, Jack Morris , pitched a complete 10 inning shutout 7th game. (Morris was named Most Valuable Player for the Series.) With 69 innings in total, the 1991 World Series shares
21182-524: The former Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League . In 1968, the team held a name-the-team contest that received more than 17,000 entries. Sanford Porte, a bridge engineer from the suburb of Overland Park, Kansas , was named the winner for his “Royals” entry. His reason had nothing to do with royalty. “Kansas City’s new baseball team should be called the Royals because of Missouri’s billion-dollar livestock income, Kansas City’s position as
21360-424: The franchise's final three wins of the 1985 Series, the third-longest multi-year postseason streak in baseball history. The Royals faced the San Francisco Giants in the 2014 World Series . They had home-field advantage, due to the American League 's win in the 2014 All-Star Game . After setting an AL record by winning eight straight games to reach the World Series, the Royals opened the series by losing 7–1 in
21538-446: The game open in the bottom of the fifth. A succession of five Cardinal pitchers allowed six Royals runs, five coming after two were out. Campbell gave up a single to Sundberg and was immediately replaced by Jeff Lahti , who allowed four hits to score four runs before being replaced by Ricky Horton . After Horton gave up a single to Brett and fell behind on the count 2-0 to Frank White , Herzog replaced him with Joaquín Andújar , normally
21716-405: The game. The owners agreed. Immediately after and notwithstanding the acquittals, Landis banned all of the players involved (including Weaver) for life. The White Sox would not win a World Series again until 2005 . The events of the 1919 Series, segueing into the "live ball" era , marked a point in time of change of the fortunes of several teams. The two most prolific World Series winners to date,
21894-413: The handle) on third baseman George Brett's bat after he had hit a two-run home run off Gossage that put the Royals up 5–4 in the top of the 9th. After Yankee Manager Billy Martin came out of the dugout to talk to home plate umpire Tim McClelland , McClelland and the other umpires mulled over the bat (measuring it over home plate, touching it, etc.). McClelland then pointed to Brett in the dugout and gave
22072-454: The history of Major League Baseball. In the second ALCS game, the Royals again beat the Orioles 6–4, behind Lorenzo Cain 's four hits, including an RBI single. After game three, the ALCS was delayed one day due to rainy weather, when the Royals hosted the Orioles at Kauffman Stadium on October 14, 2014. Pitcher Jeremy Guthrie allowed only one run as KC beat the Orioles 2–1, taking a 3–0 lead in
22250-558: The infielders Eric Hosmer , Mike Moustakas , Johnny Giavotella , and catchers Salvador Pérez and Manny Piña . Hosmer won the AL Rookie of the Month award in July and September and finished the season with 19 home runs. Moustakas collected a fifteen-game hitting streak, which tied the longest such streak by a Royals rookie. The Royals finished the 2011 season with a 71–91 record, in fourth place in
22428-411: The last day of the season, and the leagues had previously agreed to hold a World's Championship Series in 1904, but it was not binding, and Brush stuck to his original decision. In addition to political reasons, Brush also cited a number of legitimate grievances, including the lack of rules under which revenue would be split, where games would be played, and how they would be operated and staffed. During
22606-478: The lunging Worrell's glove. Denkinger called Orta safe. TV replays – not used by officials for play review until 2008 – indicated that Orta should have been called out, and an argument ensued on the field. The Cardinals argued briefly, but as crew chief and believing he had made the correct call, Denkinger did not reverse it. Orta remained at first. In his book You're Missing a Great Game , Herzog wrote that he later wished he had asked Commissioner Peter Ueberroth , who
22784-427: The modern World Series, with the terms arranged through negotiation of the owners of the championship teams beforehand. The number of games played ranged from as few as three in 1884 (Providence defeated New York three games to zero), to a high of fifteen in 1887 (Detroit beat St. Louis ten games to five). Both the 1885 and 1890 Series ended in ties, each team having won three games with one tie game. The series
22962-446: The nation’s leading stocker and feeder market and the nationally known American Royal parade and pageant,” Porte wrote. The team's board voted 6–1 on the name, with the only opposition coming from team owner Ewing Kauffman , who eventually changed his vote and said the name had grown on him. Entering the American League in 1969 along with the Seattle Pilots , the club was founded by Kansas City businessman Ewing Kauffman. The franchise
23140-535: The new franchise. Sanford Porte from Overland Park, Kansas submitted the name Royals, in recognition of Missouri's billion-dollar livestock industry. His suggestion was that the American Royal best exemplified Kansas City through its pageantry and parade, so the new team should be named the Royals. The name was selected out of 17,000 submissions and the Royals Board voted 6–1 to adopt the name. The one dissenting vote
23318-590: The only inning in the series in which they scored more than one run. The Royals got back into the series by riding ace Bret Saberhagen to a 6–1 victory against twenty-game winner Joaquín Andújar . Saberhagen flashed messages on the television screen to his pregnant wife who was due to give birth any day. She eventually gave birth on October 26 (in Game 6). The Royals went up 2–0 in the fourth on Lonnie Smith 's two-run double that scored Jim Sundberg and Buddy Biancalana , who had walked and singled, respectively. Royals second baseman Frank White made history by becoming
23496-400: The only out the Cardinals would record. Porter then allowed a passed ball, advancing Concepción and Sundberg to third and second, respectively. With first base now open and two runners in scoring position, Herzog then chose to walk Royals pinch hitter Hal McRae to set up a potential double play. McRae was replaced by the faster John Wathan to pinch-run to avoid a potential double play. With
23674-446: The organization felt it was still missing a few necessary pieces to give its divisional rival Oakland Athletics a run for their money. So prior to the 1990 season, the Royals acquired Mark Davis , the 1989 National League Cy Young Award-winner and league leader in saves , signing him to a 4-year, $ 13 million contract (the largest annual salary in baseball history at the time). The Royals also signed starting pitcher Storm Davis , who
23852-551: The playoffs, finishing second in their division behind the eventual World Series champion Oakland Athletics. At the end of the 1989 season, the team boasted a powerhouse pitching rotation, including the AL Cy Young Award -winner Bret Saberhagen (who set franchise record 23 wins that year), two-time All-Star Mark Gubicza (a 15-game winner in 1989) and 1989 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Tom Gordon (who won 17 games that year). But
24030-628: The record for longest seven-game World Series ever, in terms of innings, with the 1924 World Series which was won by the Washington Senators , who would then become the Minnesota Twins. Kansas City Royals 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
24208-408: The series, as the Dodgers went on to beat the A's 4 games to 1. The severity of Gibson's injury prevented him from playing in any of the remaining games. When the 1989 World Series began, it was notable chiefly for being the first-ever World Series matchup between the two San Francisco Bay Area teams, the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics . Oakland won the first two games at home, and
24386-487: The series. In game four, the Royals completed the sweep of the Orioles with another 2–1 win to advance to the World Series for the first time since 1985 . The win marked the team's eighth consecutive postseason win in one year, breaking a major league record previously held by the Colorado Rockies in 2007 and Cincinnati Reds in 1976 . It also marked the Royals' 11th win in a row overall in postseason play, dating back to
24564-451: The seventh off of Ricky Horton when George Brett drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a balk, then scored on White's double. Two outs later, White scored on Buddy Biancalana 's single to cap the scoring. John Tudor 's complete game shutout put the Cardinals on the verge of winning their second World Series in four years. Tito Landrum , only playing due to a tarp injury to Vince Coleman , continued to make his case for series MVP with
24742-424: The stage for an extended downward spiral. Indeed, the Royals set a franchise-low with a .398 winning percentage (64–97 record) in 1999, and lost 97 games again in 2001. In the middle of this era, in 1997, the Royals declined the opportunity to switch to the National League as part of a realignment plan to introduce the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays as expansion teams. The Milwaukee Brewers made
24920-434: The support of the band of Royal Rooters . The 1904 Series , if it had been held, would have been between the AL's Boston Americans (Boston Red Sox) and the NL's New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants ). At that point there was no governing body for the World Series nor any requirement that a Series be played. Thus the Giants' owner John T. Brush refused to allow his team to participate in such an event, citing
25098-416: The sweep at home, winning 8–3 in game three and advancing to the 2014 American League Championship Series against the Baltimore Orioles . In the opening game of the ALCS on October 11, 2014, the Royals defeated the Orioles 8–6, with two home runs in the 10th inning. Thus, in eight extra innings over five postseason games in 2014, they succeeded in hitting four homers in extra innings, more than any team in
25276-419: The switch instead. In 2002 , the Royals set a new team record for futility, losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history. They fired manager Tony Muser , and he was replaced by Tony Peña . The 2003 season saw a temporary end to the losing, when manager Tony Peña, in his first full season with the club, guided the team to its first winning record (83–79) since 1994 and finished in third place in
25454-540: The team lost at least 90 games. The worst seasons came in 2004–2006, when the Royals lost at least 100 games each year and set the franchise's all-time record for losses (56–106 in 2005 ). Picked by many to win their division in 2004 after faring well in the free agent market, the Royals got off to a disappointing start and by late June were back in a rebuilding mode, releasing veteran reliever Curtis Leskanic and trading veteran reliever Jason Grimsley and superstar center fielder Carlos Beltrán for prospects, all within
25632-519: The team with the best regular-season win–loss record in each league won its pennant and advanced to the World Series, barring a tie necessitating a pennant playoff . Since then each league has conducted a League Championship Series ( ALCS and NLCS ) preceding the World Series to determine which teams will advance, while those series have been preceded in turn by Division Series ( ALDS and NLDS ) since 1995, and Wild Card games or series in each league since 2012. Until 2002, home-field advantage in
25810-520: The team's first AL Central division title in 2015 and defeating the New York Mets in five games in the 2015 World Series to win their second World Series championship . From 1969 to 2024, the Royals have an all time win–loss record of 4,208–4,623 (.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. When
25988-467: The team. This was the minimum amount Kauffman had stipulated the team could be sold for. MLB rejected Prentice's first bid without specifying any reason. In a final round of bids on March 13, 2000, the Foundation voted to accept Glass' bid of $ 96 million, rejecting Prentice's revised bid of $ 115 million. During the interregnum under Foundation ownership, the team declined. In the 1994 season,
26166-496: The third baseman to end the threat. Tudor allowed just five hits in a complete game while striking out eight with one walk while Black went just five innings and allowing three runs on four hits and three walks. Entering this game, the Royals were 3–0 in must-win games in playoff elimination games. They improved their record to 4–0 with a decisive victory over the Cardinals, again by the score of 6–1. The Royals struck first on Frank White 's groundout with runners on second and third in
26344-443: The third player in Royals history to receive the award. The Royals began the 2010 season with a rocky start, and after the team's record fell to 12–23, manager Trey Hillman was fired. Former Milwaukee Brewers skipper Ned Yost took over as the 16th manager in franchise history, At the end of the 2010 season, the Royals finished with a 67–95 record, in last place in the division for the sixth time in seven years. The Royals also set
26522-504: The third time in four seasons that the team reestablished the mark for worst record in franchise history. The season also saw the Royals lose 19 games in a row, a franchise record. During the season manager Tony Peña quit and was replaced by interim manager Bob Schaefer until the Indians' bench coach Buddy Bell was chosen as the next manager. Looking for a quick turnaround, general manager Allard Baird signed several veteran players prior to
26700-521: The top level of organized baseball in the United States. All championships were awarded to the team with the best record at the end of the season, without a postseason series being played. From 1884 to 1890, the National League and the American Association faced each other in a series of games at the end of the season to determine an overall champion. These series were disorganized in comparison to
26878-461: The top of the first off of Bob Forsch , but the Cardinals tied it off of Danny Jackson in the bottom half on back-to-back two-out doubles by Tom Herr and Jack Clark . However, they would not score after that. The Royals broke the game open in the second when Buddy Biancalana singled to score Jim Sundberg , who doubled with one out. After Lonnie Smith walked, Willie Wilson tripled home both runs to make it 4–1. The Royals added to their lead in
27056-517: The transition from right field to first base that season, lost track of the ball as he looked to find the dugout and the ball dropped on the top step of the dugout. Balboni then singled two pitches later, putting runners at first and second with nobody out. Onix Concepción was sent in as a pinch runner for the slow-footed Balboni. Catcher Jim Sundberg attempted to sacrifice the runners over, but he failed. With two strikes, he bunted anyway, and sent it back to Worrell, who threw to third to force out Orta,
27234-606: The two teams crossed the bridge to San Francisco to play Game 3 on Tuesday, October 17. ABC 's broadcast of Game 3 began at 5 pm local time, approximately 30 minutes before the first pitch was scheduled. At 5:04, while broadcasters Al Michaels and Tim McCarver were narrating highlights and the teams were warming up, the Loma Prieta earthquake occurred (having a surface-wave magnitude of 7.1 with an epicenter ten miles (16 km) northeast of Santa Cruz, California). The earthquake caused substantial property and economic damage in
27412-513: The west coast, defeating the Chicago White Sox in 1959 . The 1962 Giants made the first California World Series appearance of that franchise, losing to the Yankees. The Dodgers made three World Series appearances in the 1960s: a 1963 win over the Yankees , a 1965 win over the Minnesota Twins and a 1966 loss to the Baltimore Orioles . Prior to 1969, the National League and the American League each crowned its champion (the "pennant winner") based on
27590-448: The winter of 1904–1905, however, feeling the sting of press criticism, Brush had a change of heart and proposed what came to be known as the "Brush Rules", under which the series were played subsequently. One rule was that player shares would come from a portion of the gate receipts for the first four games only. This was to discourage teams from fixing early games in order to prolong the series and make more money. Receipts for later games
27768-490: The year with a final record of 65–97, in a tie for fourth place in the AL Central. The season was highlighted by starter Zack Greinke , who did not allow an earned run in the first 24 innings of the season, went on to finish the year with a Major League-leading 2.16 earned run average , and won the American League Cy Young Award. Greinke joined Bret Saberhagen (in 1985 and 1989) and David Cone (in 1994) as only
27946-525: The young pitching staff of Saberhagen, Gubicza, Charlie Leibrandt , Black and Jackson. The Royals were then swept by the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series . The Tigers went on to win the World Series . In the 1985 regular season the Royals topped the Western Division for the sixth time in ten years, led by Bret Saberhagen's Cy Young Award -winning performance and George Brett's self-described best "all around year." Throughout
28124-496: Was Kauffman's. He eventually changed his mind after the name grew on him. (Some sources say it was in honor of the Kansas City Monarchs , a Negro leagues team.) The team's logo, a crown atop a shield with the letters "KC" inside the shield, was created by Shannon Manning, an artist at Hallmark Cards , based in Kansas City. The Royals began play in 1969 in Kansas City, Missouri . In their inaugural game, on April 8, 1969,
28302-573: Was also significant because it remains the most-watched game in World Series history with a television audience of 54.9 million viewers. In July 1983, while the Royals were headed for a second-place finish behind the Chicago White Sox another chapter in the team's rivalry with the New York Yankees occurred. In what has come to be known as "the Pine Tar Incident ", umpires discovered illegal placement of pine tar (more than 18 inches up
28480-519: Was coming off a career-high 19-game win season (third-best in the AL), to a three-year $ 6 million contract. Despite the promising off-season moves, the team suffered critical bullpen injuries while both newly signed Davises experienced lackluster seasons in 1990. The Royals concluded the season with a 75–86 record, in second-to-last place in the AL West (and with the worst franchise record since 1970). Bo Jackson—the team's potential future franchise player—suffered
28658-424: Was ejected — reportedly after saying to Denkinger, "We wouldn't even be here if you hadn't missed the fucking call last night!" According to Denkinger, he replied, "Well, if you guys weren't hitting .120 in this World Series, we wouldn't be here." The next pitch was also called a ball to walk Sundberg, and Denkinger ejected Andújar, who then charged at Denkinger. It took three teammates to restrain him and get him off
28836-405: 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
29014-552: Was fired and replaced by Jim Frey . Under Frey and a legendary .390 season from George Brett, the Royals rebounded in 1980 and advanced to the ALCS , where they again faced the Yankees . The Royals vanquished the Yankees in a three-game sweep punctuated by Brett's home run off of Yankees' star relief pitcher Goose Gossage . After reaching their first World Series , the Royals fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. Game 6
29192-416: 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. The name "Royals" pays homage to the American Royal ,
29370-424: Was granted a team in the next round of expansion. Major League Baseball complied with a hasty round of expansion at the 1967 winter meetings. Kansas City was awarded one of four teams to begin play in 1971. However, Symington was not satisfied with having Kansas City wait three years for baseball to return, and pressured MLB to allow the new teams to start play in 1969. Symington's intervention may have contributed to
29548-404: Was in attendance, to overrule the call and declare Orta out. If Ueberroth had refused to do so, Herzog would have pulled his team from the field and forfeited the game. Instead of one out and no one on, the Royals now had no outs and a runner on first for batter Steve Balboni . Balboni lifted a pop-up in foul territory along the edge of the first base dugout. Jack Clark, who had only recently made
29726-527: Was introduced in 1969—the pennant was awarded to the first-place club in the standings at the end of the season. For four seasons, 1894–1897, the league champions played the runners-up in the postseason championship series called the Temple Cup . A second attempt at this format was the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup series, which was played only once, in 1900. In 1901, the American League was formed as
29904-412: Was named general manager. Schuerholz soon bolstered the farm system with pitchers Bud Black , Danny Jackson , Mark Gubicza , David Cone , and Bret Saberhagen , as well as hitters such as Kevin Seitzer . Thanks to the sudden and surprising maturation (specifically, in pitching) of most of the aforementioned players, the Royals won their fifth division championship in 1984, relying on Brett's bat and
30082-409: Was only one out from tying the series at one apiece when he allowed an RBI single to Jack Clark . After a double and walk loaded the bases, Terry Pendleton cleared them with a double and gave the Cardinals a 4–2 lead. Quisenberry came in and after he walked Darrell Porter he got out of the inning. Jeff Lahti earned a save with a scoreless bottom of the inning. The Cardinals' four run ninth would be
30260-513: Was originally scheduled to be in the booth with Michaels and Palmer, but was removed from his assignment just prior to Game 1 because of the controversy surrounding his book I Never Played the Game . CBS Radio broadcast the series nationally, with Jack Buck on play-by-play and Sparky Anderson providing color commentary. Locally, Royals' flagship station WIBW ( Topeka ) aired the games in Kansas City with Denny Matthews and Fred White alternating on play-by-play and color, while in St. Louis
30438-639: Was promoted and referred to as "The Championship of the United States", "World's Championship Series", or "World's Series" for short. In his book Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 , Simon Winchester mentions in passing that the World Series was named for the New York World newspaper, but this view is disputed. The 19th-century competitions are, however, not officially recognized as part of World Series history by Major League Baseball , as it considers 19th-century baseball to be
30616-493: Was replaced by Jeremy Affeldt , who was later replaced by Madison Bumgarner . The Royals lost game seven, 3–2, with the tying run ( Alex Gordon ) on third base in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, when Salvador Pérez fouled out to Pablo Sandoval to end the game and the series. After earning a wild card entry to the playoffs in 2014 , in 2015 , the Royals won the franchise's first division title since 1985 and first Central division title ever. The Royals went on to win
30794-503: Was split among the two clubs and the National Commission, the governing body for the sport, which was able to cover much of its annual operating expense from World Series revenue. Most importantly, the now-official and compulsory World Series matches were operated strictly by the National Commission itself, not by the participating clubs. With the new rules in place and the National Commission in control, McGraw's Giants made it to
30972-572: Was the best hitter in the series, including having hit the series' only home run, but had markedly worse numbers in the games the White Sox lost). During the Series, writer and humorist Ring Lardner had facetiously called the event the "World's Serious". The Series turned out to indeed have serious consequences for the sport. After rumors circulated for nearly a year, the players were suspended in September 1920. The " Black Sox " were eventually acquitted in
31150-437: Was the first Saturday night game in World Series history. The Series began on a Saturday from 1969 through 1976 , and again from 1985 through 2006 (with the exception of 1990 , which began on a Tuesday night). The Royals went up 2–0 in the fourth off of Danny Cox when Willie Wilson hit a leadoff single that was followed by back-to-back RBI doubles by George Brett and Frank White . However Charlie Leibrandt continued
31328-419: Was the first World Series in which all games were played at night. Also, this was the second all-Missouri World Series; the first in 1944 was all-St. Louis series between the Cardinals and Browns (a decade later, they became the Baltimore Orioles ). This was the second of five World Series played completely on artificial turf ; the first was in 1980 and the others were in 1987 , 1993 and 2020 . This
31506-677: Was the last World Series game played in the daytime, indoors at the Metrodome in Minnesota. The last World Series played outdoors during the day was the final game of the 1984 series in Detroit's Tiger Stadium . The start time of this game (Game 5) was 4:45 PM, making it the last outdoor World Series game to be started during daylight hours, but the game concluded after sunset and the final innings were technically played at night. The last World Series game to be played outdoors entirely during daylight hours
31684-473: Was the previous day's game, Game 4, which started at 1:45 PM. During this seven-year period, only three teams won the World Series: the Oakland Athletics from 1972 to 1974, Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976, and New York Yankees in 1977 and 1978. This is the only time in World Series history in which three teams have won consecutive series in succession. This period was book-ended by World Championships for
#41958