These stars spent last year of career with KC Royals

A pitcher who won over 20 games in over three seasons, won a Cy Young, and was selected to five All-Star games gave it a go with the KC Royals in 1983.

Gaylord Perry was also known for throwing spitballs and perhaps including other substances on the baseball which may have helped him prolong his career.  He came over mid-season from the Seattle Mariners to Kansas City his last year in the majors. He pitched fairly well in KC, going 4-4 with a 4.27 ERa in 14 starts.

He was a picture of durability starting 15 or more games in 20 straight seasons.  Twice he led the league in complete games with 29 and pulled that off in back-to-back years.  He threw another 28 of those the third year but that was not the most in the American League in 1974.

Perry is a big part of the pine tar story with George Brett in case you have not heard this.  While Brett was going ballistic with the umpires, “Gaylord the Great” took the bat and ran off but was caught by security guards.  Apparently, at age 44 his speed was not an attribute.

This left-hander from Casper, WY had a great seven-year before wrapping up his career in Kansas City.

Tom Browning was a dominant pitcher from 1985-1991 despite little recognition for his performances.  He was only second in Rookie of the Year voting despite going 20-9 with a 3.55 ERA and finished sixth in Cy Young voting the year the Royals won their first World Series.

He went on to lead the National League in starts four of the next five years and reeled off win totals of 14, 10, 18, 15, 15, and 14.  That was 107 victories in a seven-year period.  Ironically his only All-Star appearance came in a season where he went 14-14 with a 4.18 ERA.

Browing did throw the only perfect game in Cincinnati Reds history on September 16, 1988, against the Dodgers.  He struck out 7 batters while only tossing 101 pitches.

He was apt to give up the long ball, surrendering the most in the major in ’88, ’89, and ’91.  He was with the Cincinnati Reds for the first 11 years of his career before coming to the KC Royals in 1995.  A horrible injury in San Diego in 1994 was essentially the end of his career.

He only went two starts with the Royals with an 8.10 ERA in 10 innings pitched.  At age 35 it was a career cut short but he still had many great moments.