1998 Kansas City Royals season

MLB yearly infobox
name = Kansas City Royals
season = 1998
misc =

current league = American League
y1 = 1969
division = Central Division
y2 = 1994
Uniform
ballpark = Kauffman Stadium
y4 = 1973
city = Kansas City, Missouri
y5 = 1969
owners = David Glass
managers = Tony Muser
television =KMBC-TV
KCWB
Fox Sports Rocky Mountain
(Paul Splittorff, Bob Davis)
radio =WKBZ
(Denny Matthews, Fred White)|The by|1998 Kansas City Royals season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Royals finishing 3rd in the American League Central with a record of 72 wins and 89 losses.

Offseason

*November 18, 1997: Yamil Benitez was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Kansas City Royals as the 19th pick in the 1997 expansion draft. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/benitya01.shtml]
*January 20, 1998: Terry Pendleton was signed as a Free Agent with the Kansas City Royals. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/pendlte01.shtml Terry Pendleton Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com ] ]
*January 20, 1998: Lee Smith signed as a Free Agent with the Kansas City Royals. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/smithle02.shtml Lee Smith Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com ] ]

Regular season

Before the by|1998 regular season began, two new teams—the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays—were added by Major League Baseball. This resulted in the American League and National League having fifteen teams. However, in order for MLB officials to continue primarily intraleague play, both leagues would need to carry a number of teams that was divisible by two, so the decision was made to move one club from the AL Central to the NL Central.

This realignment was widely considered to have great financial benefit to the club moving. However, to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, Commissioner (then club owner) Bud Selig decided another team should have the first chance to switch leagues. The choice was offered to the Kansas City Royals, who ultimately decided to stay in the American League. [cite news|url=http://www.cincypost.com/sports/1997/brew110697.html|title=Brewers switch leagues, join Reds in NL Central|work=The Kentucky Post (Associated Press)|publisher=E. W. Scripps Company|date=1997-11-06|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050505095313/http://www.cincypost.com/sports/1997/brew110697.html|archivedate=2005-05-05] The choice then fell to the Brewers, who, on November 6, 1997 elected to move to the National League. Had the Brewers elected not to move to the National League, the Minnesota Twins would have been offered the opportunity to switch leagues. [Pappas, Doug, [http://www.roadsidephotos.com/baseball/97-4news.htm "News Briefs: Fall 1997"] , "Outside the Lines", Fall 1997.]

eason standings

Starting pitchers

References

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/KC/1998.shtml 1998 Kansas City Royals team page at Baseball Reference]
* [http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1998&t=KCA 1998 Kansas City Royals team page at www.baseball-almanac.com]