1973 Kansas City Royals season
Royals Stadium | ||
|---|---|---|
| City | Kansas City, Missouri | |
| Owners | Ewing Kauffman | |
| General managers | Cedric Tallis | |
| Managers | Jack McKeon (first season) | |
| Television | KBMA | |
| Radio | KMBZ (Buddy Blattner, Denny Matthews, Fred White) | |
| ||
The 1973 Royals Stadium. Promoted from Triple-A Omaha, Jack McKeon replaced the fired Bob Lemon as manager and the Royals finished second in the American League West in 1973 with a record of 88–74, six games behind the Oakland A's.
The 88 wins were the most in the franchise's brief history, five more than in 1971. Lefthander Paul Splittorff (20–11) became the first Royal to win twenty games in a season.
Offseason
- November 30, 1972: Roger Nelson and Richie Scheinblum were traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Hal McRae and Wayne Simpson.[1]
- February 1, 1973: Chicago White Sox for Jim Lyttle.[2]
Regular season
The Royals opened the new
Royals Stadium with a 12–1 rout of the Texas Rangers on April 10. The Tuesday night game was attended by 39,464 braving cool temperatures; 39 °F (4 °C) at first pitch.[3][4]
On April 27, Steve Busby threw the first no-hitter in Royals history,[5] as visiting KC shut out Detroit 3–0 at Tiger Stadium.[6]
At Royals Stadium on May 15, Nolan Ryan of the California Angels threw the first no-hitter of his career.[7][8][9]
On August 2, George Brett made his major league debut,[10] starting at third base and hitting a single in a 3–1 road win over the`Chicago White Sox.[11]
Season standings
W
|
L
|
Pct. | GB | Home | Road | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics | 94 | 68 | 0.580 | — | 50–31 | 44–37 |
| Kansas City Royals | 88 | 74 | 0.543 | 6 | 48–33 | 40–41 |
| Minnesota Twins | 81 | 81 | 0.500 | 13 | 37–44 | 44–37 |
| California Angels | 79 | 83 | 0.488 | 15 | 43–38 | 36–45 |
| Chicago White Sox | 77 | 85 | 0.475 | 17 | 40–41 | 37–44 |
| Texas Rangers | 57 | 105 | 0.352 | 37 | 35–46 | 22–59 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | TEX | |
| Baltimore | — | 7–11 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 8–4 | 15–3 | 8–4 | 9–9 | 5–7 | 10–2 | |
| Boston | 11–7 | — | 7–5 | 6–6 | 9–9 | 3–15 | 8–4 | 12–6 | 6–6 | 14–4 | 4–8 | 9–3 | |
| California | 6–6 | 5–7 | — | 8–10 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 10–8 | 5–7 | 10–8 | 6–6 | 6–12 | 11–7 | |
| Chicago | 4–8 | 6–6 | 10–8 | — | 7–5 | 5–7 | 6–12 | 3–9 | 9–9 | 8–4 | 6–12 | 13–5 | |
| Cleveland | 6–12 | 9–9 | 7–5 | 5–7 | — | 9–9 | 2–10 | 9–9 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 3–9 | 7–5 | |
| Detroit | 9–9 | 15–3 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 9–9 | — | 4–8 | 12–6 | 5–7 | 7–11 | 7–5 | 5–7 | |
| Kansas City | 4–8 | 4–8 | 8–10 | 12–6 | 10–2 | 8–4 | — | 8–4 | 9–9 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 11–7 | |
| Milwaukee | 3–15 | 6–12 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 9–9 | 6–12 | 4–8 | — | 8–4 | 10–8 | 4–8 | 8–4 | |
| Minnesota | 4–8 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 9–9 | 4–8 | — | 3–9 | 14–4 | 12–6 | |
| New York | 9–9 | 4–14 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 11–7 | 11–7 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 9–3 | — | 4–8 | 8–4 | |
| Oakland | 7–5 | 8–4 | 12–6 | 12–6 | 9–3 | 5–7 | 10–8 | 8–4 | 4–14 | 8–4 | — | 11–7 | |
| Texas | 2–10 | 3–9 | 7–11 | 5–13 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 4–8 | 6–12 | 4–8 | 7–11 | — | |
Notable transactions
- April 2: Greg Minton was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Fran Healy.[12]
- May 8: Tom Murphy was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Al Santorini.[13]
- June 5: 1973 Major League Baseball draft
- Ruppert Jones was selected in the third round.[14]
- Rob Picciolo was selected in the fourth round of the secondary phase, but did not sign.[15]
Roster
| 1973 Kansas City Royals | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
|
Outfielders
|
Manager
Coaches
| ||||||
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Fran Healy | 95 | 279 | 77 | .276 | 6 | 34 |
| 1B | John Mayberry | 152 | 510 | 142 | .278 | 26 | 100 |
| 2B | Cookie Rojas | 139 | 551 | 152 | .276 | 6 | 69 |
| SS | Freddie Patek | 135 | 501 | 117 | .234 | 5 | 45 |
| 3B | Paul Schaal | 121 | 396 | 114 | .288 | 8 | 42 |
| LF | Lou Piniella | 144 | 513 | 128 | .250 | 9 | 69 |
| CF | Amos Otis | 148 | 583 | 175 | .300 | 26 | 93 |
| RF | Ed Kirkpatrick | 126 | 429 | 113 | .263 | 6 | 45 |
| DH | Gail Hopkins | 74 | 138 | 34 | .246 | 2 | 16 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hal McRae | 106 | 338 | 79 | .234 | 9 | 50 |
| Kurt Bevacqua | 99 | 276 | 71 | .257 | 2 | 40 |
| Steve Hovley | 104 | 232 | 59 | .254 | 2 | 24 |
| Carl Taylor | 69 | 145 | 33 | .228 | 0 | 16 |
| Frank White | 51 | 139 | 31 | .223 | 0 | 5 |
| Rick Reichardt | 41 | 127 | 28 | .220 | 3 | 17 |
| Jim Wohlford | 45 | 109 | 29 | .266 | 2 | 10 |
| Bobby Floyd | 51 | 78 | 26 | .333 | 0 | 8 |
| George Brett | 13 | 40 | 5 | .125 | 0 | 0 |
| Buck Martinez | 14 | 32 | 8 | .250 | 1 | 6 |
| Jerry May | 11 | 30 | 4 | .133 | 0 | 2 |
| Tom Poquette | 21 | 28 | 6 | .214 | 0 | 3 |
| Frank Ortenzio | 9 | 25 | 7 | .280 | 1 | 6 |
| Keith Marshall | 8 | 9 | 2 | .222 | 0 | 3 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Splittorff | 38 | 262.0 | 20 | 11 | 3.98 | 110 |
| Steve Busby | 37 | 238.1 | 16 | 15 | 4.23 | 174 |
| Dick Drago | 37 | 212.2 | 12 | 14 | 4.23 | 98 |
| Al Fitzmorris | 15 | 89.0 | 8 | 3 | 2.83 | 26 |
| Mark Littell | 8 | 38.0 | 1 | 3 | 5.68 | 16 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gene Garber | 48 | 152.2 | 9 | 9 | 4.24 | 60 |
| Ken Wright | 25 | 80.2 | 6 | 5 | 4.91 | 75 |
| Wayne Simpson | 16 | 59.2 | 3 | 4 | 5.73 | 29 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Bird | 54 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 2.99 | 83 |
| Bruce Dal Canton | 32 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4.81 | 38 |
| Joe Hoerner | 22 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5.12 | 15 |
| Steve Mingori | 19 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3.04 | 46 |
| Mike Jackson | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.85 | 13 |
| Tom Burgmeier | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5.40 | 4 |
| Barry Raziano | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 0 |
| Norm Angelini | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4.91 | 3 |
Farm system
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Omaha Royals
|
American Association
|
Harry Malmberg |
| AA | Jacksonville Suns
|
Southern League
|
Billy Gardner |
A
|
San Jose Bees
|
California League | Steve Boros |
A
|
Waterloo Royals
|
Midwest League | Bill Scripture |
Rookie
|
Kingsport Royals
|
Appalachian League | John Sullivan
|
Rookie
|
GCL Royals | Gulf Coast League
|
Buzzy Keller |
Rookie
|
Billings Mustangs | Pioneer League | Gary Blaylock |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Kingsport, Billings
References
- ^ Roger Nelson at Baseball Reference
- ^ Joe Keough at Baseball Reference
- ^ "Royals Stadium ready for opener tonight". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. April 10, 1973. p. 9.
- ^ Woodling, Chuck (April 11, 1973). "Royals rap Rangers, 12–1". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). p. 23.
- ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
- ^ "KC's Busby throws first AL gem since '70". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. April 28, 1973. p. 12.
- ISBN 978-1-55365-507-7
- ^ "'Ryan Express' hurls no-hitter at Royals". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. May 16, 1973. p. 24.
- ^ "Blazing Ryan finally gets his gem". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. May 16, 1973. p. 1D.
- ^ George Brett at Baseball Reference
- ^ "Sports scoreboard". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (box scores). August 3, 1973. p. 4B.
- ^ Greg Minton at Baseball Reference
- ^ Al Santorini at Baseball-Reference
- ^ Ruppert Jones at Baseball-Reference
- ^ Rob Picciolo at Baseball Reference
External links
- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
- 1973 Kansas City Royals at Baseball Reference
- 1973 Kansas City Royals at Baseball Almanac