1980 Kansas City Royals season
Major League Baseball team season / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1980 Kansas City Royals season was their 12th in Major League Baseball. The Royals, under new manager Jim Frey, finished first in the American League West with a record of 97–65. Kansas City finally broke through in the postseason, sweeping the New York Yankees 3-0 in the 1980 American League Championship Series after falling to the Yankees in the ALCS in 1976, 1977 and 1978. The Royals lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 in the World Series.
1980 Kansas City Royals | ||||
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American League Champions American League West Champions | ||||
League | American League | |||
Division | West | |||
Ballpark | Royals Stadium | |||
City | Kansas City, Missouri | |||
Record | 97–65 (.599) | |||
Divisional place | 1st | |||
Owners | Ewing Kauffman | |||
General managers | Joe Burke | |||
Managers | Jim Frey (first season) | |||
Television | WDAF-TV 4 (Al Wisk, Denny Trease) | |||
Radio | WIBW–AM 580 KMBZ–AM 980 (Denny Matthews, Fred White) | |||
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George Brett had one of the best seasons in Major League Baseball history. Brett became the first Royals player to win a Most Valuable Player award, and his league-leading .390 batting average was the highest in the majors since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Brett also led the team in home runs (24) and set a single-season franchise record with 118 runs batted in.