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The Fort Myers Royals were a minor league affiliate of the Kansas City Royals from 1978 to 1987. In 1978 the Royals were brought to Fort Myers, Florida by the Kansas City franchise. This was because Fort Myers served as the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals. The Royals were a Single A Florida State League franchise. The team played at Terry Park Ballfield from 1978 until 1987. In 1985 the Royals won the Florida State League Championship. Kevin Seitzer was a member of that Fort Myers Royals team. The Minor League franchise left Fort Myers in 1988 when the Major League Baseball franchise moved Spring Training to Haines City, Florida and Baseball City Stadium .

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87-606: The Fort Myers Royals played at Terry Park , located at 3410 Palm Beach Boulevard. Built in 1955, the historic ballpark was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It sustained hurricane damage in 2004, that resulted in the grandstands being rebuilt. The ballpark still exists today as part of the Terry Park Sports Complex. Numerous Fort Myers Royals alumni reached the major leagues; some of note include: This article about

174-617: A theme park called Boardwalk and Baseball which was centered around a baseball theme. The main attraction was going to be the Kansas City Royals spring training home, however the deal later proved to be a bust and by 2002 the park was abandoned and later completely demolished. In 1978 the Kansas City Royals brought a minor league affiliate to Fort Myers, the team being called the Fort Myers Royals

261-589: 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

348-621: 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

435-631: A Single A Florida State League franchise. The team played at Terry Field from 1978 until 1987. In 1985 the Royals won the Florida League Championship. Kevin Seitzer and Bret Saberhagen were members of the Fort Myers team and began their professional careers at Terry Park. After the Royals left Fort Myers, a new spring training team was never fielded at the stadium. Two new stadiums were built in Fort Myers, Hammond Stadium

522-572: A baseball team in Florida is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Terry Park Ballfield The Terry Park Ballfield (also known as the Park T. Pigott Memorial Stadium ) is a historic site in Fort Myers, Florida , United States. The park is named after the family who donated the land in the 1920s. For years the stadium hosted Major League Baseball spring training , as well as

609-462: 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

696-431: 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

783-718: A dozen years of Florida State League baseball. The stadium hosted the Philadelphia Athletics , Cleveland Indians , Pittsburgh Pirates , and Kansas City Royals spring training through the years. Terry Park was also home to some early minor league baseball , most notably the Fort Myers Palms and Fort Myers Royals , both belonging to the Florida State League . Hall of Famers Babe Ruth , Ty Cobb , Roberto Clemente , Jimmy Foxx , Bob Feller , Tris Speaker , and George Brett are some of

870-511: 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

957-580: 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. The name "Royals" pays homage to

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1044-425: 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),

1131-471: 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

1218-406: 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

1305-472: 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 ,

1392-411: 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

1479-618: Is being built at their Fort Myers campus. The following list synthesizes two independent research efforts. The first was completed in 2003 by Gabriel Schechter, Research Associate, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum . Schechter identified 80 Hall of Fame inductees using box scores from The Sporting News . The second was completed in 2023 by Ken Breen, a member of the Southwest Florida Historical Society. Breen confirmed an additional 74 Hall of Fame inductees who have been at Terry Park Ballfield. This

1566-2823: Is documented in a research paper titled Necessarily Incomplete and is updated annually. The list is current through the Class of 2024 and includes 155 names. Bobby Wallace Connie Mack, Babe Ruth, Al Simmons, Lefty Grove, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Bill Terry, Frankie Frisch, Fred Lindstrom, Hack Wilson, Travis Jackson, Billy Southworth George Kelly, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, John McGraw, Ross Youngs, Al Lopez Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Zach Wheat, Rogers Hornsby, Jim Bottomley, Dave Bancroft Tris Speaker, Edd Roush, Rabbit Maranville, Mel Ott, Bill McKechnie Grover Cleveland Alexander, Chuck Klein, Johnny Evers George Sisler, Leo Durocher Ernie Lombardi, Wilbert Robinson Dizzy Dean, Joe Medwick, Bill Klem Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, Goose Goslin, Chuck Hafey, Casey Stengel, Tom Yawkey Joe Cronin Cal Hubbard Lou Boudreau, Early Wynn, Bucky Harris Carl Hubbell, Gabby Hartnett, Johnny Mize, Enos Slaughter, Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Hal Newhouser Happy Chandler, Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr Roberto Clemente, Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, Richie Ashburn, George Kell, Eddie Matthews, Red Schoendienst, Warren Giles, Branch Rickey, Walter Alston, Gil Hodges Jackie Robinson, Frank Robiinson, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Harmon Killebrew, Tommy Lasorda, Lefty Gomez, Dick Williams Bill Mazeroski, Al Kaline, Roy Campanella, Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Larry Doby Robin Roberts, Whitey Herzog Jim Bunning, Al Barlick, Sparky Anderson Brooks Robinson, Pie Traynor, Warren Spahn, Minnie Miñoso, Nester Chylak Ford Frick, George Weiss, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra Willie Stargell, Paul Waner, Phil Rizzuto, Doug Harvey Joe Torre, Tony Oliva, Sandy Koufax Tony Perez, Jim Kaat Lou Brock, Phil Niekro, Joe Morgan, Don Drysdale, Luke Appling Carl Yastrzemski, Johnny Bench, Don Sutton, Billy Herman Catfish Hunter Hoyt Wilhelm, Reggie Jackson, Tony La Russa Rod Carew, John Schuerholz, Joe Gordon, Bowie Kuhn Bert Blyleven, Ted Simmons Steve Carlton Mike Schmidt Jim Palmer, Goose Gossage, Earl Weaver George Brett, Jim Rice Eddie Murray Bobby Cox, Tim Raines Ferguson Jenkins, Cal Ripken, Jr. Marvin Miller, Jack Morris, Gaylord Perry 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

1653-473: 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

1740-672: The American Royal , a livestock show, horse show, rodeo, and championship barbecue competition held annually in Kansas City since 1899, as well as the identical names of two former Negro league baseball teams that played in the first half of the 20th century (one was a semi-pro team based in Kansas City in the 1910s and 1920s that toured the Midwest and the other was a California Winter League team based in Los Angeles in

1827-558: 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

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1914-593: 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

2001-719: 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

2088-610: 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

2175-489: 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

2262-529: 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

2349-629: 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

2436-490: 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

2523-543: 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

2610-534: 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

2697-616: 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

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2784-411: 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

2871-407: 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

2958-644: 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 ,

3045-497: 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,

3132-479: 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

3219-574: 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

3306-512: 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

3393-991: The Pittsburgh Pirates. For years the Pirates wandered all over the country for a spring training location and were looking for a permanent spring training home. During a 12-year period the Pirates spent spring training in seven different locations: McCulloch Park in Muncie, Indiana ; Flamingo Field in Miami Beach , Gilmore Field in Hollywood, California ; Perris Hill Park in San Bernardino ; Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba ; and Jaycee Park in Fort Pierce . Terry Park became their spring training home for

3480-541: 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

3567-500: 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

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3654-669: 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

3741-554: 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

3828-432: 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

3915-401: 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

4002-502: 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

4089-472: 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

4176-415: 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

4263-593: The ball field was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior . The memorial stadium was dedicated to area resident, Park T. Pigott (1914–1972), in recognition of his lifetime of service, through sports, to the youth of this community. For the 2003 season Terry Park was used by the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast University while their new ballpark

4350-666: 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

4437-498: 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

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4524-467: 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

4611-465: 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

4698-533: 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

4785-485: 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

4872-413: 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

4959-510: 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

5046-411: 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

5133-534: The league's playoffs occurred during spring training. In the spring of 1990, the Minnesota Twins minor league teams held their spring training workouts and exhibition games at Terry Park while the new Lee County stadium was being built. The most recent professional baseball games played at Terry Park Ballfield were June 2, 2001 Lakeland Tigers v Fort Myers Miracle (FSL) and April 30, 2006 Dunedin Blue Jays v Fort Myers Miracle (FSL) . The park pretty much still remained in its 1955 condition. On May 11, 1995

5220-446: 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

5307-424: 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

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5394-424: The next 14 years, before moving to Bradenton's McKechnie Field in 1969 . In 1968 the Kansas City Athletics moved from Kansas City, Missouri to Oakland, California . This change allowed Kansas City to receive a Major League expansion team. They received their team which was called the Kansas City Royals . Terry Field became the new spring training home for the team. The team's historic first exhibition game

5481-444: The notable players who have played at Terry Park Field. In 1921 the local Fort Myers Terry Family donated approximately 25 acres (100,000 m ) of cow pasture to Lee County . Amidst bulls and heifers, a small wooden grandstand seating no more than 600 fans was erected on the site about a mile east of downtown Fort Myers. The stadium was built as a spring training ballpark for Connie Mack 's Philadelphia Athletics in 1925. The park

5568-446: 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

5655-444: 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

5742-429: 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

5829-424: 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

5916-416: 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

6003-419: 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

6090-540: 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

6177-520: 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

6264-473: 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,

6351-443: 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

6438-509: 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

6525-502: 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

6612-593: 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

6699-505: 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,

6786-589: 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

6873-557: Was built for the Minnesota Twins and City of Palms Park was built for the Boston Red Sox . The last professional baseball team to call Terry Park home was the Fort Myers Sun Sox of the short lived Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989 and 1990. The league featured former MLB stars and was played during the winter months. The league folded in 1990. All SPBA playoff games were held at Terry Park, since

6960-522: 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

7047-405: 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

7134-674: 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

7221-424: 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

7308-412: 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

7395-486: Was played at Terry Field against the Montreal Expos. The Royals would remain in Fort Myers until 1987 . During the Kansas City Royals years, the field featured artificial turf, similar to that of Royals Stadium . However several years after the Royals left for Baseball City, the turf left as well. In 1988 the Royals left Fort Myers for Haines City . The City open offered the team a new stadium and opened up

7482-493: 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

7569-472: Was the spring training home of the Philadelphia Athletics from 1925 until 1936 , and the Cleveland Indians from 1940 until 1942. It was also the home of the minor league Fort Myers Palms in 1926. The stadium remained in its 1925 condition until 1943, when it was destroyed in a fire. However, in 1955 the park was rebuilt. This time, instead of wood, the stadium was made from steel and concrete. The rebuilt Terry Park created an alliance between Fort Myers and

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