2009 Kansas City Royals season
Radio | KCSP 610 AM (Denny Matthews, Ryan Lefebvre, Steve Stewart, Bob Davis) | |
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The 2009 Kansas City Royals season was the 41st season for the franchise, and their 39th at
The Royals looked to improve on their 2008 record of 75–87 and sought their first playoff appearance since 1985, as manager Trey Hillman returned for his second season with Kansas City. The Royals' payroll for the 2009 season was $70.5 million, approximately 25 percent higher than their 2008 payroll (and 21st in the major leagues).[3][4][5]
There was much optimism for the Royals heading into the season, with some experts saying they had the potential reach the postseason.[6][7] After a strong start and 18–11 record, the Royals suffered several losing streaks and fell back to a losing record, finishing with a dismal 65-97 record.
Off-season
Coaching staff changes
Following the 2008 season, third base coach
Winter meetings
After the acquisitions of Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp, the Royals entered the Winter Meetings not seeking to add another big free agent acquisition like in years past (Gil Meche in 2007 and José Guillén in 2008).[9] Through trades, Kansas City sought to acquire relief pitching, a middle infielder, and a starting pitcher.[10][11] The Royals pursued both RHP Kyle Farnsworth and RHP Brandon Lyon,[12] and signed Farnsworth to a two-year contract.[13] The Royals also signed LHP Horacio Ramírez, who was previously with the team in 2008,[13] and RHP Doug Waechter.[13]
The Royals were also one of the final four teams that were in talks with SS Rafael Furcal.[14] The acquisition of Furcal would have resulted in the Royals moving SS Mike Avilés to second base.[14] Furcal played with the Atlanta Braves, where Royals general manager Dayton Moore worked prior to joining the Royals' front office.[14] Reports said that Kansas City was maneuvering to clear payroll so that they could sign Furcal, or sign Orlando Cabrera, who was in the Royals' backup plan.[15] Kansas City bowed out of talks with Furcal after they could not work around their payroll.[3]
The Boston Globe reported that the Royals had "serious discussions" concerning a trade of RHP Zack Greinke to the Atlanta Braves for OF Jeff Francoeur.[16] Reports about Kansas City's purported interest in Francoeur also surfaced weeks before the Winter Meetings but there had been no concrete evidence that the Royals pursued such a deal.[16] Dayton Moore quickly denied the report.[16] Moore showed a reluctance to trade Greinke or outfielders Mark Teahen and David DeJesus, all of whom were attached to rumors throughout the off-season.[16]
Roster moves
Kansas City entered the 2008–2009 off-season with 15 players eligible for arbitration.
- LHP John Bale[10] (re-signed)[17]
- RHP Brian Bannister[10][18]
- C John Buck[10][19]
- RHP Kyle Davies[10]
- RHP Brandon Duckworth[10]
- OF Joey Gathright[10] (released)[20]
- IF/OF Esteban Germán[10]
- LHP Jimmy Gobble[10][21]
- RHP Zack Greinke[10][22]
- 2B Mark Grudzielanek (declined)[23]
- 1B Mike Jacobs[10]
- C Miguel Olivo[10]
- RHP Joel Peralta[10][19]
- IF Jason Smith[10]
- IF/OF Mark Teahen[10]
In October, the Royals acquired 1B
In November, the Royals acquired CF Coco Crisp from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for RP Ramón Ramírez.[25]
In December, the Royals did not tender contracts to OF Joey Gathright, LHP John Bale, RHP Jairo Cuevas, and 2B Jason Smith.[20] Bale was later re-signed on a one-year deal,[17]
In January, the Royals agreed to a four-year, $38 million contract with RHP Zack Greinke.[22]
Regular season
Season standings
AL Central | W
|
L
|
Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota Twins | 87 | 76 | 0.534 | — | 49–33 | 38–43 |
Detroit Tigers | 86 | 77 | 0.528 | 1 | 51–30 | 35–47 |
Chicago White Sox | 79 | 83 | 0.488 | 7½ | 43–38 | 36–45 |
Cleveland Indians | 65 | 97 | 0.401 | 21½ | 35–46 | 30–51 |
Kansas City Royals | 65 | 97 | 0.401 | 21½ | 33–48 | 32–49 |
Record vs. opponents
Team | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | LAA | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baltimore | – | 2–16 | 5–4 | 2–5 | 3–5 | 4–4 | 2–8 | 3–2 | 5–13 | 1–5 | 4–5 | 8–10 | 5–5 | 9–9 | 11–7 |
Boston | 16–2 | – | 4–4 | 7–2 | 6–1 | 5–3 | 4–5 | 4–2 | 9–9 | 5–5 | 2–4 | 9–9 | 2–7 | 11–7 | 11–7 |
Chicago | 4–5 | 4−4 | – | 10–8 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 5–4 | 6−12 | 3–4 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 6–2 | 2–4 | 1–6 | 12–6 |
Cleveland | 5–2 | 2–7 | 8–10 | – | 4–14 | 10–8 | 2–4 | 8–10 | 3–5 | 2–5 | 6–4 | 5–3 | 1–8 | 4–4 | 5–13 |
Detroit | 5–3 | 1–6 | 9–9 | 14–4 | – | 9–9 | 5–4 | 7–12 | 1–5 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 7–2 | 3–5 | 10–8 |
Kansas City | 4–4 | 3–5 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 9–9 | – | 1–9 | 6–12 | 2–4 | 2–6 | 5–4 | 1–9 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 8–10 |
Los Angeles |
8–2 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 4–2 | 4–5 | 9–1 | – | 6–4 | 5–5 | 12–7 | 10–9 | 4–2 | 8–11 | 4–4 | 14–4 |
Minnesota | 2–3 | 2–4 | 12–6 | 10–8 | 12–7 | 12–6 | 4–6 | – | 0–7 | 4–6 | 5–5 | 3–3 | 6–4 | 3–5 | 12–6 |
New York | 13–5 | 9–9 | 4–3 | 5–3 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 5–5 | 7–0 | – | 7–2 | 6–4 | 11–7 | 5–4 | 12–6 | 10–8 |
Oakland | 5–1 | 5–5 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 4–5 | 6–2 | 7–12 | 6–4 | 2–7 | – | 5–14 | 6–4 | 11–8 | 3–6 | 5–13 |
Seattle | 5–4 | 4–2 | 5–4 | 4–6 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 9–10 | 5–5 | 4–6 | 14–5 | – | 5–3 | 8–11 | 3–4 | 11–7 |
Tampa Bay | 10–8 | 9–9 | 2–6 | 3–5 | 2–5 | 9–1 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 7–11 | 4–6 | 3–5 | – | 3–6 | 14–4 | 13–5 |
Texas | 5–5 | 7–2 | 4–2 | 8–1 | 2–7 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 4–6 | 4–5 | 8–11 | 11–8 | 6–3 | – | 5–5 | 9–9 |
Toronto | 9–9 | 7–11 | 6–1 | 4–4 | 5–3 | 3–4 | 4–4 | 5–3 | 6–12 | 6–3 | 4–3 | 4–14 | 5–5 | – | 7–11 |
- Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2009
Monthly summaries
April
The Royals' season opener against the Chicago White Sox was originally scheduled for April 6 but was postponed due to snow forecasts in the Chicago area.[2][26] The game was rescheduled for April 7, which was originally an off-day for both teams.[1] The Royals lost the first game of the season after Kyle Farnsworth gave up a game-losing, three-run homer to Chicago's Jim Thome.[27] After losing the first game to Chicago, the Royals won two of three games against Chicago to open the series.[28] The Royals played the New York Yankees on April 10 at the newly renovated Kauffman Stadium for their home opener.[2] It was the first game of a three-game series. Kansas City lost the first two games and trailed late in the 8th inning of the third game before Brayan Peña scored a game-tying RBI double and then scored the go-ahead run on Alberto Callaspo's RBI single.[29] Peña is the team's third-string catcher and was listed as designated hitter for the day.[29] The Royals would hold on to the 6–4 lead for their third win on the season.[29]
On April 17 the Royals began a three-game series with the
Zack Greinke's scoreless innings streak ended at 38 when an unearned run was scored after an errant throw by Mike Avilés in a 6–1 Royals victory over the Detroit Tigers.[38] The run was unearned so Greinke's ERA stayed at 0.00 and his record improved to 4-0 on the season.[38] The game was also Greinke's second complete game of the season.[38] Greinke was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's May 4, 2009, issue (Volume 110, Issue 18) for a cover story by Joe Posnanski called "The Best Pitcher in Baseball."[39] Greinke is the first Royals player to appear on the magazine cover since pitcher David Cone on April 5, 1993, for the magazine's baseball preview.[39] The last Kansas City player to appear in an in-season cover was back on June 12, 1989, when SI featured outfielder Bo Jackson.[39]
The team won three of four games against the Toronto Blue Jays, who entered the series with baseball's best record.[40] On April 29 Zack Greinke was the first pitcher of the season to record his fifth win and allowed only two runs to the Blue Jays in an 11–3 victory.[41] This brought his ERA for the season from 0.00 to 0.50.[41] By finishing with a 12-10 record for the month, the Royals registered their first winning April since 2003 when they began the season with a 16-7 record.[40]
May
The Royals entered the month of May in sole-possession of first place in the
Zack Greinke's eighth start of the season was delayed by two and half hours of rainfall, but the Royals still won the game 8–1 against the Baltimore Orioles.[49] The game was held at Kauffman Stadium and had a sell-out crowd of 38,353 along with many other games in the season selling out for Greinke's starts.[49][50] The Royals split their four-game home series against the Orioles.[51]
On May 19, Kansas City trailed Cleveland 5–2 entering the ninth inning but accomplished their biggest comeback victory of the season.[52] After two consecutive home runs by Mike Jacobs and Mark Teahen, the Royals rallied to a 6–5 victory after a sacrifice fly by Willie Bloomquist brought David DeJesus home for the winning run.[52]
Kansas City began
By the end of the month, the Royals began to slip from the top of their division standings in the American League Central, especially following a three-game sweep by the Chicago White Sox left the team with a 23–27 record. An 11–17 record in May dropped the Royals down to fourth place in the division.
June
Looking to rebound from a sub-par month of May, the Royals began June with a three-game series at
Roster
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September (14–11)
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Player stats
Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases
Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | AVG | SB |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(C) Miguel Olivo | 114 | 390 | 51 | 97 | 15 | 5 | 23 | 65 | .249 | 5 |
(1B) Billy Butler | 159 | 608 | 78 | 183 | 51 | 1 | 21 | 93 | .301 | 1 |
(2B) Alberto Callaspo | 155 | 576 | 79 | 173 | 41 | 8 | 11 | 73 | .300 | 2 |
(SS) Yuniesky Betancourt | 71 | 246 | 25 | 59 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 27 | .240 | 0 |
(3B) Mark Teahen | 144 | 524 | 69 | 142 | 34 | 1 | 12 | 50 | .271 | 8 |
(LF) David DeJesus | 144 | 558 | 74 | 157 | 28 | 9 | 13 | 71 | .281 | 4 |
(CF) Mitch Maier | 127 | 341 | 42 | 83 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 31 | .243 | 9 |
(RF) José Guillén | 81 | 281 | 30 | 68 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 40 | .242 | 1 |
(DH) Mike Jacobs | 128 | 434 | 46 | 99 | 16 | 1 | 19 | 61 | .228 | 0 |
(UT) Willie Bloomquist | 125 | 434 | 52 | 115 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 29 | .265 | 25 |
(CF) Coco Crisp | 49 | 180 | 30 | 41 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 14 | .228 | 13 |
(C) John Buck | 59 | 186 | 16 | 46 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 36 | .247 | 1 |
(3B) Alex Gordon | 49 | 164 | 28 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 22 | .232 | 5 |
(C) Brayan Peña | 64 | 165 | 17 | 45 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 18 | .273 | 0 |
(SS) Mike Avilés | 36 | 120 | 10 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | .183 | 1 |
(CF) Josh Anderson | 44 | 118 | 20 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .237 | 12 |
(SS) Luis Hernández | 37 | 73 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .205 | 1 |
(SS) Tony Peña Jr. | 40 | 51 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .098 | 0 |
(OF) Ryan Freel | 18 | 45 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .244 | 0 |
(UT) Tug Hulett | 15 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .111 | 0 |
Pitcher Totals | 162 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .150 | 0 |
Team Totals | 162 | 5532 | 686 | 1432 | 276 | 51 | 144 | 657 | .259 | 88 |
Pitching
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs; BB = Walks; SO = Strikeouts
Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(SP) Zack Greinke | 16 | 8 | 2.16 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 229.1 | 195 | 64 | 65 | 51 | 242 |
(SP) Brian Bannister | 7 | 12 | 4.73 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 154.0 | 161 | 94 | 81 | 50 | 98 |
(SP) Luke Hochevar | 7 | 13 | 6.55 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 143.0 | 167 | 109 | 104 | 46 | 106 |
(SP) Gil Meche | 6 | 10 | 5.09 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 129.0 | 144 | 81 | 73 | 58 | 95 |
(SP) Kyle Davies | 8 | 9 | 5.27 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 123.0 | 122 | 76 | 72 | 66 | 86 |
(CL) Joakim Soria | 3 | 2 | 2.21 | 47 | 0 | 30 | 53.0 | 44 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 69 |
(RP) Jamey Wright | 3 | 5 | 4.33 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 79.0 | 73 | 51 | 38 | 44 | 60 |
(RP) Juan Cruz | 3 | 4 | 5.72 | 46 | 0 | 2 | 50.1 | 46 | 34 | 32 | 29 | 38 |
(RP) Román Colón | 2 | 3 | 4.83 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 50.1 | 50 | 27 | 27 | 22 | 29 |
(RP) John Bale | 0 | 1 | 5.72 | 43 | 0 | 1 | 28.1 | 34 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 24 |
Robinson Tejeda
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4 | 2 | 3.54 | 35 | 6 | 0 | 73.2 | 43 | 30 | 29 | 50 | 87 |
Bruce Chen | 1 | 6 | 5.78 | 17 | 9 | 0 | 62.1 | 74 | 42 | 40 | 25 | 32 |
Sidney Ponson | 1 | 7 | 7.36 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 58.2 | 79 | 50 | 48 | 25 | 32 |
Ron Mahay | 1 | 1 | 4.79 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 41.1 | 55 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 34 |
Kyle Farnsworth | 1 | 5 | 4.58 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 37.1 | 43 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 42 |
Horacio Ramírez | 0 | 2 | 5.96 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 22.2 | 27 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 13 |
Lenny DiNardo | 0 | 3 | 10.13 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 21.1 | 41 | 28 | 24 | 15 | 8 |
Dusty Hughes | 0 | 2 | 5.14 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 14.0 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 15 |
Yasuhiko Yabuta | 2 | 1 | 13.50 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 29 | 21 | 21 | 7 | 9 |
Anthony Lerew | 0 | 1 | 4.05 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13.1 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
Víctor Marte | 0 | 0 | 8.25 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 7 |
Carlos Rosa | 0 | 0 | 3.38 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 10.2 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Doug Waechter | 0 | 0 | 8.44 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
Team Totals | 65 | 97 | 4.83 | 162 | 162 | 34 | 1426.0 | 1486 | 842 | 765 | 600 | 1153 |
Awards and honors
Player of the week
April 13–19: Zack Greinke, shared with Ian Kinsler (Texas Rangers).[33]
Pitcher of the month
April: Zack Greinke.[58]
Pepsi clutch performer of the month
April: Zack Greinke.[59]
Farm system
Level | Team | League | Manager |
---|---|---|---|
AAA | Omaha Royals
|
Pacific Coast League | Mike Jirschele |
AA | Northwest Arkansas Naturals | Texas League | Brian Poldberg |
A
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Wilmington Blue Rocks | Carolina League | Brian Rupp |
A
|
Burlington Bees | Midwest League | Jim Gabella |
Rookie
|
Burlington Royals | Appalachian League | Nelson Liriano |
Rookie
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AZL Royals
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Arizona League
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Julio Bruno |
Rookie
|
Idaho Falls Chukars | Pioneer League | Darryl Kennedy |
References
- Kansas City Royals: Official web site
- ^ a b Kaegel, Dick (April 5, 2009). "KC looks to carry hot hitting into opener". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Kaegel, Dick (September 17, 2008). "KC to open '09 season in Chicago". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
- ^ a b Leach, Matthew (December 16, 2008). "Royals bow out of Furcal bidding". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
- ^ Dutton, Bob (April 4, 2010). "Royals to Open 2010 Season With $70.1 million Payroll". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
- ^ "USA Today Salaries Database". USA Today. October 24, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
- ^ DeMarco, Tony (April 2, 2009). "Royals as contenders... and other predictions". NBC Sports at MSNBC.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ Celizic, Mike (April 6, 2009). "Opening Day brings a world of possibilities". NBC Sports at MSNBC.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f Kaegel, Dick (October 13, 2008). "Seitzer, Gibbons complete Royals staff". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ Kaegel, Dick (November 10, 2008). "Free-agent splash unlikely for Royals". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Kaegel, Dick (December 4, 2008). "Royals looking ahead to meetings". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
- ^ Kaegel, Dick (December 2, 2008). "Relief will be KC's likely meetings focus". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
- ^ Kaegel, Dick (December 8, 2008). "KC agenda includes beefing up 'pen". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
- ^ a b c Kaegel, Dick (December 11, 2008). "Royals solidify bullpen at Meetings". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
- ^ a b c Kaegel, Dick (December 9, 2008). "Furcal's final four includes Royals". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
- ^ Passan, Jeff (December 10, 2008). "Royals are fourth team to bid on Furcal". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on December 13, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
- ^ a b c d Kaegel, Dick (December 9, 2008). "Moore dismisses Francoeur rumor". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
- ^ a b Kaegel, Dick (December 16, 2008). "Bale signs one-year deal". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
- ^ Kaegel, Dick (February 4, 2009). "KC, Bannister agree on one-year deal". MLB.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
- ^ a b Kaegel, Dick (January 20, 2009). "Buck, Peralta agree to one-year deals". MLB.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
- ^ a b Kaegel, Dick (December 13, 2008). "Four players non-tendered by Royals". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
- ^ Kaegel, Dick (January 19, 2009). "Royals, Gobble avoid arbitration". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
- ^ a b Beck, Jason (January 26, 2009). "Greinke inks four-year deal with Royals". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
- ^ Kaegel, Dick (December 8, 2008). "Grudzielanek declines arbitration offer". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
- ^ Kaegel, Dick (October 30, 2008). "KC acquires power-hitting Jacobs". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
- ^ Kansas City Royals press release (November 19, 2008). "Royals acquire Coco Crisp from Red Sox for Ramon Ramirez". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
- ^ "Postponed by weather: Red Sox-Rays, White Sox-Royals". SI.com. Associated Press. April 6, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ Kaegel, Dick (April 8, 2009). "Farnsworth's setup role not in danger". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ Kaegel, Dick (April 9, 2009). "Davies dominant, Crisp seals it". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
- ^ a b c Kaegel, Dick (April 12, 2009). "Late KC rally KOs Yanks' sweep plans". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
- ^ "Gordon out at least 10-12 weeks". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. April 17, 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
- ^ Wills, Todd (April 18, 2009). "Royals back up Meche in rout of Rangers". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Greinke records first career shutout, extends scoreless innings streak to 34". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 18, 2009. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
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