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1980 Kansas City Royals Season
The 1980 Kansas City Royals season was their 12th in Major League Baseball. The Royals, under new manager Jim Frey, finished first in the American League West with a record of 97-65. Kansas City finally broke through in the postseason, sweeping the New York Yankees 3-0 in the 1980 American League Championship Series after falling to the Yankees in the ALCS in 1976, 1977 and 1978. The Royals lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in the World Series. George Brett had one of the best seasons in Major League Baseball history. Brett became the first Royals player to win a Most Valuable Player award, and his league-leading .390 batting average was the highest in the majors since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Brett also led the team in home runs (24) and set a single-season franchise record with 118 runs batted in. Offseason * October 26, 1979: Keith Drumright was acquired by the Royals from the Houston Astros to complete an earlier deal (the Astros sent a player to be named later to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American League West
The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the West Coast of the United States, west coast and in Texas, historically the division has had teams as far east as Chicago. From 1998 (when the NL West expanded to five teams) to 2012, the AL West was the only MLB division with four teams. The current champion of this division is the Houston Astros. In 2013, the Houston Astros went from the National League Central to the AL West. That move gives all six MLB divisions an equal five teams and both leagues an equal 15 teams each. Division membership Current members * Houston Astros - Joined in 2013; formerly from the National League West, NL West (1969–1993) and National League Central, NL Central (1994–2012) * Los Angeles AngelsThe Angels were formerly known as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Most Valuable Player
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or on a specific team. The purpose of the award is recognize the contribution of the individual's efforts amongst a group effort, and to highlight the excellence, exemplariness, and/or outstandingness of a player's performance amidst the performance of their peers in question. The term can have different connotations depending on the context in which it is used. A 'League MVP' is the most valuable player in an entire league, and refers to the player whose performance is most excellent in the league. Similarly, a "Team MVP" is the most valuable player on a team, referring to the player whose team contribution is greatest amongst their teammates. In many sports, MVP awards are presented for a specific match—in other words, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jamie Quirk
James Patrick Quirk (; born October 22, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1992. Quirk was a member of the world champion 1985 Kansas City Royals team. Playing career Quirk was born in Whittier, California. He was a ''Parade'' All-America quarterback at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs, California where, upon graduation, he was offered a four-year football scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. Quirk attended Whittier College. Quirk played for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles in a career that spanned the years 1975–1992. On September 27, 1984, Quirk hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning for the Cleveland Indians in a game against the Minnesota Twins. It was the only plate appearance Quirk had for the Indians, and was mean ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hal McRae
Harold Abraham McRae (; born July 10, 1945) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds (1968, 1970–72) and Kansas City Royals (1973–87). Utilized as a designated hitter for most of his career, McRae batted and threw right-handed. He is the father of former major league outfielder Brian McRae. Biography Playing career McRae was selected by the Reds in the 6th round of the 1965 draft with the 117th overall pick. Then in the pre-1969 offseason, playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, McRae suffered a multiple leg fracture sliding on the basepaths. In the words of Bill James in ''The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract'', "Before the accident, McRae was a burner, a center fielder who could fly...after the accident, his speed was major league average." He was considered a below-average outfielder with the Reds. In spring training 1969, McRae came to the Reds' camp with his leg still in a cast from the fracture. The same offseason, St. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dennis Leonard
Dennis Patrick Leonard (born May 8, 1951) is a former pitcher for the Kansas City Royals in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He retired in 1986 due to injuries. Born in Brooklyn, Leonard attended Oceanside High School (New York), Oceanside High School on Long Island, then played college baseball for and graduated from Iona College (New York), Iona College. He was drafted by the Royals in the second round of the 1972 Major League Baseball draft, 1972 draft and made his major league debut on September 4, 1974. In 1975, his first full year with the Royals, he achieved a 15-7 record. Leonard later recorded three 20-win seasons, to become the only pitcher in Royals history to do it. He started nine post-season games for the Royals between 1976 and 1981, ending with a record of 3-5, including a 1-1 record in the 1980 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. From 1975 to 1981, Leonard won 130 games, the most by any right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Towards the end ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pete LaCock
Ralph Pierre "Pete" LaCock Jr. (born January 17, 1952) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman/outfielder. He batted and threw left-handed. In 1975, LaCock hit the only grand slam of his career in the final appearance of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson. Career LaCock was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the first round (20th pick overall) of the 1970 January Draft-Regular Phase out of William Howard Taft Charter High School. His minor league career included leading the Texas League with 84 bases on balls while playing for the San Antonio Missions in 1971 and with 13 triples and 93 bases on balls while playing for the Midland Cubs in 1972. Due to LaCock's success in the minor league system, he was promoted to the major leagues, where he played for the Cubs (1972–1976) and the Kansas City Royals (1977–1980). In 1981, he played in Japan for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales. Over nine seasons (715 games), LaCock hit 27 home runs with 224 RBI and a batting average ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clint Hurdle
Clinton Merrick Hurdle (born July 30, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and manager. Hurdle played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals, and managed the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates. Labeled a "phenom" by ''Sports Illustrated'' at age twenty, Hurdle played 515 games at the major league level. After retiring from playing baseball, Hurdle became a manager. His eight seasons with the Rockies included leading the 2007 club to the franchise's first National League (NL) pennant. On November 14, 2010, the Pirates hired him to be their manager. In 2013, Hurdle led them to their first winning season and playoff appearance since 1992. He was named the NL Manager of the Year that season. Personal life Clint Hurdle is named for his father, Clinton, who played collegiate baseball for Ferris State University. When Hurdle was four years old, the family moved from Michigan to Florida so his father cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willie Aikens
Willie Mays Aikens (born October 14, 1954) is an American professional baseball first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the California Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Toronto Blue Jays between 1977 and 1985. He had established himself as one of the top sluggers in the game before drugs derailed his career. In 1994, Aikens was sentenced to 20 years in prison on four counts of crack cocaine distribution and one count of use of a firearm during drug trafficking. He was released on June 4, 2008, after changes in federal drug laws, and is sometimes cited as an example of the results of mandatory maximum sentencing in drug-related crimes. Early years Aikens grew up in poverty in the Bruce Hill community of Seneca, South Carolina. He was a standout athlete in baseball, football and basketball at Seneca High School, and attended historically black South Carolina State University on a baseball and football scholarship. When S.C. State dropped baseball after Aikens' freshman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willie Wilson (baseball)
Willie James Wilson (born July 9, 1955) is a former professional baseball player. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago Cubs. He was an outfielder known for his speed and ability as an effective leadoff hitter. Wilson's career total of 668 stolen bases currently ranks him in 12th place all-time among major leaguers. Early life Wilson was born in Montgomery, Alabama, but moved to Summit, New Jersey, at seven years old. He was a highly regarded high school baseball, football, and basketball player at Summit High School. In his senior year, he hit .436 and stole 28 bases in 28 attempts. Professional career Early years Wilson was drafted out of high school after signing a letter of intent to play college football at Maryland. The Kansas City Royals picked him in the first round of the 1974 draft. He started his professional career with the Gulf Coast Royals. He moved up to class-A in 1975 for the Waterloo R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rick Honeycutt
Frederick Wayne Honeycutt (born June 29, 1954) is an American former professional baseball coach and pitcher. Honeycutt pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six different teams over 21 years, from 1977 to 1997. He pitched in 30 post-season games, including 20 League Championship Series games and seven World Series games, and never lost a game, going 3-0. Honeycutt gave up no runs in the 1988 and 1990 post-seasons, and was a member of the Oakland Athletics' 1989 World Series championship team. He was also the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 through 2019. Playing career Honeycutt was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and graduated from Lakeview – Fort Oglethorpe High School in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Honeycutt played for the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team from 1973–1976, where he was an All-American first baseman-pitcher and won the Southeastern Conference batting title with a .404 mark. He played summer ball in Liberal, Kansas, in the Jayhawk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team in 1977 Major League Baseball expansion, 1977 playing their home games in the Kingdome. Since July , the Mariners' home Baseball park, ballpark has been T-Mobile Park, located in the SoDo, Seattle, SoDo neighborhood of Seattle. The "Mariners" name originates from the prominence of seamanship, marine culture in the city of Seattle. They are List of baseball nicknames, nicknamed the M's, a title featured in their primary logo from 1987 to 1992. They adopted their current team colors – navy blue, northwest green (teal), and Silver (color), silver – prior to the 1993 season, after having been royal blue and Gold (color), gold since the team's inception. Their List of Major League Baseball mascots, mascot is the Mariner ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Throop (baseball)
George Lynford Throop (born November 24, 1950) is a retired American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, Throop appeared in 30 games — all in relief — over parts of four Major League seasons between and . He was listed at tall and weighed . Throop was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 16th round of the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1972 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The Montreal Expos had perhaps their best draft in franc ... after attending Pasadena City College and California State University, Long Beach. He spent nearly his entire career with the Royals organization. However, about half of his career appearances in the Major Leagues, and more than half of his 42 MLB innings pitched, came after a trade to the Houston Astros in April 1979. He allowed 41 hits and 25 bases on balls ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
