Statue dedicated to Hall Of Famer George Brett ...George Brett was. Brett was already getting on in age and had served mostly as the Royals DH as of late, but he was certainly going to be missed by the fans who showed up 1,400,000 strong Kaufmann Stadium... despite a strike which ended what would have probably been another 20 win season for David Cone (16-5, 2.94) and a very good year for Wally Joyner (.311), Vince Coleman (50 SB, .240), Felix Jose (28 2B, 11 HR, .303) and Bob Hamelin (25 2B, 24 HR, .282) (who took over the DH spot from George Brett). The Royals finished the shortened year in 3rd place at 64-51, .557; not quite a playoff contender but still competitive. The team would however take a hit after the strike came to an end, as only 1.2 million came through the gates. The Royals would play 2nd place ball despite finishing 4 games under .500. Gary Gaetti was the star of the team slamming 35 Homers with 27 doubles and batting .261, finishing only 1 home run under Steve Balboni's all time record of 36. Keith Lockhart also looked sharp at short batting .321, and a new kid named Johnny Damon played in his first season, hitting .282 in 188 at bats. Kevin Appier (15-10, 3.89) was the pitching star, after David Cone was sent to Toronto. The salary dumps continued on well past 1995. Brian McRae were the next to go and as each new young star hit the big time, he was used as trade bait before he could become eligible for salary arbitration. The dark ages had come to Kansas City and they would stay here as the Royals turned their attentions from drawing crowds with great teams to paying as little for possible for players in order to get the monies inherited from the salary cap overages from the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox... claiming poverty and the inability to compete in the same market that Kauffman thrived in when he was alive. |