KC and the Sunshine band

The 1970's Royals were a fun bunch to watch, because year by year they got better and better.  As an expansion team in 1969 the franchise focused on building with young pitching and young players.  In 1970 their evolution took a quantum leap forward when they pilfered Amos Otis from the Mets for the likes of Joe Foy.  Otis went on to be an All-Star centerfielder, who drove the Royals to the top, while Foy was nothing more than a .230 hitter with a lot of excess baggage.  When the Royals acquired Freddie Patek from the Pirates the team took another step toward contention.  By 1976, the franchise's 8th season, the Royals were in first place filling the void that the A's left thanks to their owner decimating the team with one fire sale after another.  The Royals were 2 innings away from making the World Series, but instead dropped game 5 of the ALCS to the Yankees on a Chris Chambliss walk off homer off reliever Mark Littell. That LCS would set the tone for the next two seasons as the Royals got better and better, but were always 1 game short of beating the hated Yankees.

The core of this team would stick together for well over a decade and contribute to 7 playoff appearances, 2 AL pennants and one Don Dekkinger aided World Championship in 1985.  That core would include the incomparable George Brett, who would become the only player to win a batting tittle in 3 successive decades.  Brett could hit line drives and power up when the big moment dictated.  The bigger the moment the bigger Brett played.  He virtually owned Yankee closer, HOF'er, Goose Gossage.  Many folks will remember Brett for the "pine tar" game, but that incident was merely a footnote on a 1st ballot HOF career.  Other cast members who were responsible for the success in KC were DH Hal McRae, who was rescued from the bench in Cincy.  Willie Wilson, who always seemed to be on 1st base ready to steal second.  Nobody can forget UL Washington with his ever present toothpick between his teeth, and of course there was the tragic Darrell Porter, who in 1979 had one of those magical seasons that only 9 other catchers in the history of baseball could better.

KC had a rock solid pitching staff that typically went 5 starters deep.  Steve Busby was the franchise's first ace, and the author of 2 no hitters, until his right arm began to fall off.  Dennis Leonard and Paul Splittorff were top tier hurlers as was Larry "Yankee Killer" Gura.  During the 70's the Royals achilles was their bullpen.  It wasn't until 1980, when the late Dan Quisenberry arrived did the franchise elevate to the next level.