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KC Royals and New York Yankees rivalry through the years

By Shawn Bauman |
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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Despite never playing in the same division, the KC Royals and New York Yankees have developed quite a disdain for each other over time.

From their inception in 1969 through 2020, the KC Royals have either been parked in the American League West or Central.  There have been battles with the Oakland A’s, Chicago White Sox, California Angels, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians.  Yet none of these have topped the ire of a Kansas City fan like when they see the Yankees on the schedule.

Of course, New York is not a tough team to dislike.  Many teams take pleasure in beating the players in pinstripe jerseys.  Not only have the Yankees captured 27 world titles, but they and their fans are not shy about letting you know this.

Even when the Yankees are removed from winning or appearing in the World Series, it is an important date when they are on the calendar. For many years both franchises were at or near the top of their respective divisions.

Starting in the mid-1990s when payroll became more of a factor between the best and worst teams, the Royals headed into a long period of being non-competitive. The Yankees coming to town was still big with the big money versus small market battle cry.

New York also usually has a bevy of stars to rollout that fans want to see.  From Reggie Jackson, Don Mattingly, Rich Gossage, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Aaron Judge, and more, you may want to boo them but you also wonder what great performance they may put on for you.

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We will relive some of the great moments between these two clubs that helped build this rivalry.

(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Kansas City’s second chance at a major league franchise: The KC Royals

This is where the history of these two teams begins.  Starting in 1976, they would meet in the American League Championship Series for four out of five years.  If that does not stoke the competitive fires, nothing will.

The Yankees were itching to get back to the World Series themselves, not having been in over a decade.  Chris Chambliss ended the series on a walk-off homer and the fire was lit for these two clubs.  It is a great clip with Howard Cosell on the call and I am surprised Chambliss was able to make it to home plate with the mob on the field.

1977 would bring more heartache as the Royals coughed up a two games to one lead.  The next year was not as competitive as the Yankees won in four games.  Finally, George Brett brought immense pride to the City of Fountains with his own late-inning heroics as KC swept NY in the 1980 ALCS.

The manager of the Yankees in 1980?  Dick Howser.  He led the team to a 103-59 record but did not come back the following season mostly due to the playoff result against the Royals.  That would turn out to be great fortune as Kansas City hired Howser during the next season and the rest was history for his legacy in KC.

Then 1983 brought us the infamous “Pine Tar Game” in which Billy Martin waited to see if Brett would hurt New York in a game.  He had a plan all along to protest the bat Brett used but wanted his complaint to come at a key junction in a game.  Boy, he got that.

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The two teams have not met in the playoffs since 1980.  It was close in 1985 as the Royals won their division on the way to their first World Series victory but even with 97 victories, the Yankees fell two games back of the Toronto Blue Jays.

(Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

KC Royals (and Yankees) struggles

Neither club made the playoffs from 1986-1994.  There were close calls for both sides and still star power on the rosters, just not enough to get over the hump. The next chapter of the story deals more with a Biblical David versus Goliath storyline.  Except in this version the giant stomps the small boy every time.

George Steinbrenner grew tired of not winning and missing the playoffs.  Combined with the free-agent market exploding in the 1990s, the Yankees seemed to get all of the players they wanted. Meanwhile, tough times took over in Kansas City with the passing of Ewing Kauffman and a lack of a true owner.

Constant budget cuts, bad free agent moves, questionable manager and general manager hirings, and draft errors kept the Royals from making a serious challenge for nearly 20 years.  Over in the city that never sleeps, a playoff qualifying run in 16 of 17 seasons began in 1995.

So, Royals fans did what we do best.  We protested?  In 1999 during a home series against the Bronx Bombers, a “walkout” was put on by many fans.

The T-shirts will have “We love the Royals” on the front and “Share the wealth” on the back. Every time the Yankees come to bat, group members will turn their backs to the field. After the third inning, they’ll all get up and tape skeletons to their seats with signs that say, “Small markets are dying.” – cbsnews.com

Despite the best efforts of those involved, things did not change. We are still stuck with the Yankees outspending the Royals by a large margin.

Royals should have went to National League. light. Hot

Anytime we beat the New York it feels like a major accomplishment – and it should.  The Royals have only won more games head-to-head against the Yankees in a season series twice since 1994.

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A KC Royals slugger that was left completely out of the HR Derby

For the first time since 1973, Kansas City had the opportunity to host the All-Star game in 2012.  Being the baseball lovers the town is, it was a major opportunity to see great players and show off our stadium.

Billy Butler was selected to the squad as he was in the midst of his best season ever.  He would club 29 homers, drove in 109, and ended with a .313/.373/.510 slash.  What an amazing experience to have him participate in the Home Run Derby in front of his home crowd right?

Thanks to Robinson Cano fans were given a reminder about how much they do not like the Yankees.  After first indicating the picking Butler would be the right thing to do, Cano reversed course and snubbed him from the AL derby team.

Man, the crowd that night let Cano they did not like it.  He was booed during an interview before the contest was underway.  He was booed when he was introduced.  Every time he did not hit a home run – and that turned out to be every swing – they cheered like the Royals won a playoff game.  I think he could have saved someone falling off the top deck and he still would have been chased out of Kauffman Stadium with pitchforks.

While not nearly as fun as watching two competitive teams go up against each other for the honor of representing the American League in the World Series, it is these types of moments Kansas City has to settle for currently.

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During the Royals playoff run of 2014-2015, the Yankees missed the playoffs and lost in the Wild Card game over those two years. With the latest rebuild, it would great to see Kansas City maintain a winning team for a long period of time instead of three years of competitiveness and then going straight back to the drawing board.  A new generation of fans deserves to see the KC Royals and New York Yankees mix it up in a seven-game playoff series.

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