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1978 Kansas City Royals Season
The 1978 Kansas City Royals season was their tenth in Major League Baseball. The Royals won their third consecutive American League West title with a record of 92-70. For the third postseason in a row, Kansas City lost to the New York Yankees, falling 3-1 in the 1978 American League Championship Series. Regular season Season standings Record vs. opponents Notable transactions * April 4, 1978: John Mayberry was purchased from the Royals by the Toronto Blue Jays. * June 5, 1978: The Royals traded a player to be named later to the San Diego Padres for Steve Hamrick (minors). The Royals completed the deal by sending Gary Lance to the Padres on September 29. * August 3, 1978: Gerry Ako (minors) and cash were traded by the Royals to the Milwaukee Brewers for Jamie Quirk. Draft picks * June 6, 1978: 1978 Major League Baseball draft ** Jeff Cornell was drafted by the Royals in the 8th round. **Frank Viola was drafted by the Royals in the 16th round, but did not sign. [...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] |
Gary Lance
Gary Dean Lance (born September 21, 1948) is a former baseball pitcher. He played briefly for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) in its 1977 season. Listed at 6' 3", 195 lb., Lance batted and threw right handed. He was born in Greenville, South Carolina and attended Dentsville High School in Columbia, SC and continued playing baseball for University of South Carolina. Career The Royals signed Lance as a free agent in 1971. He spent six seasons in the minor leagues playing at six different levels. In 1974, while pitching for the Double-A Jacksonville Suns, Lance hurled a no-hitter against the Birmingham A's. He averaged 12 wins in four of these seasons, with a career-high 16 victories in 1977, before joining the big team late in the year. Lance debuted with Kansas City on September 28, 1977, pitching two innings of relief against the Oakland Athletics. He came into the game in the 8th inning to replace Mark Littell, after the A's had tied the game at 5– ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Hrabosky
Alan Thomas Hrabosky (; born July 21, 1949) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1982 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, and Atlanta Braves. As of 2022, he is the color commentator on Cardinals regular-season broadcasts on Bally Sports Midwest. Hrabosky's nickname is "The Mad Hungarian" because of his unusual last name and colorful character. Playing career Hrabosky played baseball and football at Savanna High School in Anaheim, California. He was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the eleventh round of the 1967 amateur draft, but did not sign with the club. St. Louis Cardinals Two years later, the Cardinals made him their first round choice. At the age of twenty, he made his Major League debut with a scoreless inning against the San Diego Padres on June 16, 1970. Hrabosky became a Cardinals fan favorite for his antics on the mound. When entering a game, he would turn his back to the batter, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andy Hassler
Andrew Earl Hassler (October 18, 1951 – December 25, 2019) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the California Angels (1971, 1973–1976 and 1980–1983), Kansas City Royals (1976–1978), Boston Red Sox (1978–1979), New York Mets (1979), Pittsburgh Pirates (1980) and St. Louis Cardinals (1984–1985). Career Hassler was drafted in the 25th round of the 1969 amateur draft by the California Angels and made his Major League debut on May 30, 1971, pitching four innings in a 7–4 loss to the New York Yankees. Hassler was a member of the Royals' American League Western Division winning team in 1976–1977, the Angels team who won the same division in 1982, and he helped the Cardinals win the 1985 National League Pennant. He lost 17 straight games (as a starter and in relief) between 1975 and 1976. Hassler's final Major League appearance was on May 7, 1985, against the San Diego Padres. In 14 seasons, Hassler had a 44–71 win–loss record and a 3.83 career ERA. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larry Gura
Lawrence Cyril Gura (; born November 26, 1947) is a left-handed former pitcher in Major League Baseball from to . He won a national championship at Arizona State University and spent 16 years in the Major Leagues. He played for the Chicago Cubs (1970–1973, 1985) of the National League, and the New York Yankees (1974–1975) and Kansas City Royals (1976–1985), both of the American League. He attended Joliet East High School and was inducted into the inaugural Joliet Hall of Fame in Joliet, Illinois. He was elected to the American League All-Star team in 1980 when he had his finest season, finishing with an 18–10 record and a 2.95 ERA. Gura won in double figures for seven consecutive seasons for the Royals (1978–1984) compiling 99 wins over that span. He particularly pestered his former team, the Yankees, against whom he went 11–6 in the regular season as a Royal. Gura was 3–0 against them in both 1979 and 1980, with five complete games, and tossed another complete-g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rich Gale
Richard Blackwell Gale (born January 19, 1954) is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played with four teams between and . Listed at and , Gale batted and threw right-handed. During 1992 and 1993, he served as pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox. In 2006, he earned honorable mention for the ''New Hampshire Athlete of the Century''. Career Born in Littleton, New Hampshire, Gale went to the University of New Hampshire on a basketball scholarship, but made his mark on the baseball diamond. In 1974, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star. Selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 1975 draft, he entered the Majors in with the Royals, playing for them four years before joining the San Francisco Giants (), Cincinnati Reds () and Boston Red Sox (). Gale's most productive season came in his rookie year, when he went 14–8 with 88 strikeouts and a 3.09 ERA, including a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Foucault
Steven Raymond Foucault (born October 3, 1949) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher from 1973 to 1978 for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, and Kansas City Royals. Foucault attended Miami Coral Park Senior High and South Georgia College He was traded from the Rangers to the Tigers for Willie Horton on April 12, 1977. For his career, he compiled a 35-36 record, with a 3.21 ERA, 307 strikeouts and 52 saves in 277 appearances. In 2007 Foucault was hired as pitching coach for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League, helping lead the team to the 2007 Atlantic League championship. In 2009-10 He was the pitching coach for the Evansville Otters The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana. They compete in the West Division of the independent Frontier League. Since their establishment in 1995, the Otters have played at historic Bosse Field, which o .... Currently he is the pitching coach for the Long Island Ducks. For a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Colborn
James William Colborn (born May 22, 1946) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. The right-handed Colborn pitched for the Chicago Cubs (-), Milwaukee Brewers (-), Kansas City Royals (-) and Seattle Mariners (1978). Biography After graduating from Whittier College with a degree in sociology, Colborn studied for his master's degree at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, where he also starred in basketball as well as baseball, being named all-Scotland. In 1967, the Chicago Cubs signed Colborn as an amateur free agent. He found himself in Leo Durocher's doghouse after struggling as a young relief pitcher for three years. Colborn was traded along with Brock Davis and Earl Stephenson to the Brewers for José Cardenal on December 3, 1971. Colborn was the Brewers' first-ever 20-game winner in 1973, posting a 20-12 record with a 3.18 ERA. He also was named to the American League All-Star team, but did not pitch in the game. Over the next three seasons, however, Colborn posted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Busby
Steven Lee "Buzz" Busby (born September 29, 1949) is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals. He batted and threw right-handed. High school Busby attended Fullerton Union High School in Fullerton, CA. Professional career A bright prospect, Busby won 56 games in his first three full seasons, only to have his career derailed by a rotator cuff tear. Drafted by the Royals in in the second round, the University of Southern California graduate made his debut the following season and stuck in the major leagues for good in , when he won 16 games and on April 27 pitched the first no-hitter in Kansas City Royals history, defeating the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium 3–0 on April 27. Busby became the first no-hit pitcher who did not come to bat during the entire game, with the American League having adopted the designated hitter rule that year. In a game against the California Angels on September 20, 1972, Busby hit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doug Bird
James Douglas Bird (born March 5, 1950) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher from to . Bird was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 1969 amateur draft's secondary phase. During his career, Bird was used in a variety of pitching roles, frequently shifting from the bullpen to the starting rotation and back. Bird appeared in six postseason games from 1976 through 1978, all with the Royals, and each time against the New York Yankees, posting a 2.35 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched. After good work in the 1976 and 1977 playoffs, Bird is most known for surrendering a two-run homer to Thurman Munson in the eighth inning of Game Three during the 1978 American League Championship Series The 1978 American League Championship Series was a best-of-five playoff pitting the New York Yankees against the Kansas City Royals for the American League pennant and the right to represent the American League in the 1978 World Series. The Yanke .... External links Doug Bir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Viola
Frank John Viola Jr. (born April 19, 1960) is an American former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins (1982–1989), New York Mets (1989–1991), Boston Red Sox (1992–1994), Cincinnati Reds (1995), and Toronto Blue Jays (1996). A three-time All-Star, he was named World Series MVP with the Twins in 1987 and won the AL Cy Young Award in 1988. He is the pitching coach of the High Point Rockers. He batted and threw left-handed, and he was nicknamed "Sweet Music" – a nickname he picked up after a Minnesota sports writer declared that when Viola pitched, there was "Sweet Music" in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The nickname was a play on the fact that his last name is also a name of a musical instrument, although pronounced differently. A fan began displaying a banner bearing the phrase in the outfield's upper deck whenever Viola pitched. Twins fans considered the banner to be a good luck charm. The banner is now the property of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeff Cornell
Jeffery Ray Cornell (born February 10, 1957) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during the season at the major league level for the San Francisco Giants. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 8th round of the 1978 draft. Cornell played his first professional season with their Rookie League Gulf Coast League Royals in 1978. He was traded to the Giants in 1982. Cornell played his last season with the Chicago Cubs' Triple-A team, the Iowa Cubs, in 1986. After the end of his playing career, Cornell became a scout for the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and in 2008 for the Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ..., his current position. Personal Cornell has three kids Erin, Megan, and Jayce. His wife's name is Tammy. Sources" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
