Kansas City Royals

• 1. The Name That Stuck

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  In 1968, a bridge engineer named Sanford Porte from Overland Park submitted an entry to a name-the-team contest. His suggestion was that the new baseball team should be called the Royals because of Missouri's billion-dollar livestock income. The American Royal parade and pageant exemplified Kansas City through its pageantry. The team board voted six to one on the name. Only owner Ewing Kauffman opposed it initially before changing his mind. The name honored the local stocker and feeder market status of the city.

• 2. Rapid Rise And Dynasty Years

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  The franchise began play in 1969 after Senator Stuart Symington pressured Major League Baseball to expand quickly. General Manager Cedric Tallis engineered trades for stars like Amos Otis and John Mayberry. Under manager Whitey Herzog starting in 1975, the club won three straight division titles from 1976 to 1978. They reached the World Series twice during this era but lost both times to the New York Yankees. George Brett emerged as a core player with a .390 batting average season in 1980. The team remained competitive throughout the early 1990s before entering a long slump.

• 3. Pine Tar And Rivalries

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  On the 24th of July 1983, umpires discovered illegal pine tar placement on George Brett's bat during a game against the New York Yankees. Home plate umpire Tim McClelland measured more than 18 inches up the handle and called Brett out. Yankee manager Billy Martin argued the call until AL President Lee MacPhail reinstated the home run weeks later. This incident became known as the Pine Tar Incident. The rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals grew into the I-70 Series following their 1985 World Series meeting. Both teams are located in Missouri and connected by Interstate 70.

• 4. Post-Kauffman Decline

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  Owner Ewing Kauffman died in 1993 leaving the team under a complex succession plan managed by the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. General Manager John Schuerholz departed shortly after Kauffman's death. Payroll dropped from $40.5 million in 1994 to just $16.5 million by 1999. The franchise set a record low winning percentage of .398 in 1999 losing 97 games. They lost 100 games for the first time in 2002 and endured nine consecutive losing records from 2004 through 2012. Dayton Moore took over as general manager in 2006 to begin rebuilding efforts.

• 5. Modern Resurgence And Titles

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  The Royals returned to the postseason in 2014 after a 29-year drought ending with a wild card berth. They reached the World Series that year but lost to the San Francisco Giants in seven games. In 2015, they won their second championship defeating the New York Mets four games to one. Salvador Perez earned World Series MVP honors after scoring five runs in the 12th inning of Game 5. The team secured its first AL Central division title since 1985 during this run. A core group including Lorenzo Cain and Wade Davis led the charge to back-to-back titles.

• 6. Uniform Evolution And Identity

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  Original home uniforms featured blue arm piping and script lettering from the 1969 season. Road uniforms were inverted with Kansas City written in an arch arrangement until block letters replaced them in 1973. Powder blue road uniforms became iconic between 1973 and 1991 before returning as alternates in 2008. Black was added to the color scheme in 2002 but eliminated again by 2006. The 2022 City Connect set introduced navy blue tops with powder blue accents resembling fountains shooting up water. Full powder blue uniforms returned for select Saturday home games starting in 2025.