Kansas City Royals: Ten Best Seasons In Royals History
By Scott Dillon
Best Seasons in Kansas City Royals History: 7. 1978 (92-70; Won Division, Lost ALCS 3-1)
When the final out was recorded in 1978 the Royals finished off a trio of seasons in which they failed to defeat the New York Yankees in the League Championship Series.
The evil empire on the east coast beat the Royals for a third straight season and their rivalry was in full effect.
On TheBaseballPage.com, George Brett is quoted on his player page as saying:
"“The Royals and the Yankees hated each other. To this day, whenever I see Lou Piniella or one of those Yankees, we talk about how I hated those guys. It was the way baseball was meant to be played."
The games between these two teams were often contentious. Royals’ players and fans had a serious contempt for the Yankees.
No matter how good the product was that the Royals ran onto the field, the Yankees always seemed to have an answer.
George Brett tried to power the Royals to control of the series in game three. He hit three home runs and the Royals held a one run lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. With one on and one out, Thurman Munson hit a home run to give the Yankees the lead and take control of the series two games to one.
The Royals got ‘out-royaled’ that year giving up a close game late. That’s something they learned to shed in later postseason appearances.
Next: The Start Of An East Coast Rivalry