Neha Patil (Editor)

1969 Kansas City Royals season

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Owner(s)
  
Ewing Kauffman

Manager(s)
  
Joe Gordon

General manager(s)
  
Cedric Tallis

Local television
  
KMBC-TV

Local radio
  
KMBZ (Buddy Blattner, Denny Matthews)

The 1969 Kansas City Royals season was the Royals' inaugural season. The team finished fourth in the newly established American League West with a record of 69 wins and 93 losses.

Contents

A franchise is born

The club's inception is connected to the Athletics franchise. On October 18, 1967, A.L. owners at last gave Charles O. Finley permission to move the Athletics to Oakland for the 1968 season. According to some reports, Joe Cronin promised Finley that he could move the team after the 1967 season as an incentive to sign the new lease with Municipal Stadium. The move came in spite of approval by voters in Jackson County, Missouri of a bond issue for a brand new baseball stadium (the eventual Kauffman Stadium) to be completed in 1973. When U.S. Senator Stuart Symington threatened to have baseball's antitrust exemption revoked, the owners responded with a hasty round of expansion. Kansas City was awarded an American League expansion team, the Royals. They were initially slated to begin play in 1971. However, Symington was not willing to have Kansas City wait three years for another team, and renewed his threat to have baseball's antitrust exemption revoked unless the teams began play in 1969. The owners complied.

Expansion draft

The 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft for the Royals and the Seattle Pilots was held on October 15.

Other offseason transactions

  • June 7, 1968: Dane Iorg was drafted by the Royals in the 16th round of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign.
  • August 14, 1968: Galen Cisco was purchased by the Royals from the Boston Red Sox.
  • December 12, 1968: Hoyt Wilhelm was traded by the Royals to the California Angels for Ed Kirkpatrick and Dennis Paepke.
  • December 15, 1968: Dennis Ribant was purchased by the Royals from the Detroit Tigers.
  • March 29, 1969: Dennis Ribant was purchased from the Royals by the St. Louis Cardinals.

    • Regular season

  • May 4, 1969: Bob Oliver became the first Royal to collect six hits in a nine-inning game.

    • Notable transactions

  • April 1, 1969: Steve Whitaker and John Gelnar were traded by the Royals to the Seattle Pilots for Lou Piniella.
  • June 5, 1969: 1969 Major League Baseball Draft
  • Keith Marshall was drafted by the Royals in the 5th round.
  • Frank Ortenzio was drafted by the Royals in the 47th round.

    • Scorecard

    April 8, Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

    Starters by position

    Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

    Other batters

    Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

    Starting pitchers

    Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

    Other pitchers

    Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

    Relief pitchers

    Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

    Farm system

    LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Omaha

    Elmira affiliation shared with San Diego Padres

    References

    1969 Kansas City Royals season Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA