KC Royals: Ten Facts All Royals Fans Should Know

The Kansas City Royals mascot – Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

5) Cy Young Winners and an MVP

Three KC Royals won four Cy Young awards in their franchise history. There have been years the Royals have been utterly awful on the mound – from 1997-2006, the Royals put up a team ERA of 5.22, second worst to the Rockies in that time period.

Still, over the course of 45 years, there have been some great pitching seasons. These are the four Cy Young award years:

• 1985 – Bret Saberhagen
• 1989 – Brett Saberhagen
• 1994 – David Cone
• 2007 – Zack Greinke

Brett won his Most Valuable Player award in 1980, when he hit .390, and put up an OPS of 1.118. He finished second in 1976 and again in 1985. He finished third in 1979. He also won three batting titles in three different decades – 1976, 1980, and 1990.

Did You Know?

When the Mets fleeced the Royals in 1991, it wasn’t the first time Kansas City was taken to the cleaners by the Mets. In 1987, the Mets traded Ed Hearn, Rick Anderson, and Mauro Gozzo to the Royals for David Cone and Chris Jelic.

Hearn played 13 games for Kansas City, Anderson 28, and Gozzo none. Cone won 85 games over the next seven seasons, 81 for the Mets.

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