The 1989 Kansas City Royals season was the 21st season for the franchise, their 17th at

Kauffman Stadium Kauffman Stadium () (nicknamed "The K") is a ballpark located in Kansas City, Missouri, and the home of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals. It is next door to Arrowhead Stadium, home of National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. Bo ...

and their 3rd full season under the management of

John Wathan John David Wathan (; born October 4, 1949) is an American former professional baseball catcher, manager, and coach. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 1976 to 1985. Wathan was a member of ...

. It involved the Royals finishing second in the

American League West The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams cu ...

with a record of 92 wins and 70 losses. The Royals' record was tied for the third best in baseball, but in the pre-

wild card Wild card most commonly refers to: * Wild card (cards), a playing card that substitutes for any other card in card games * Wild card (sports), a tournament or playoff place awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal pla ...

era, the team did not qualify for the post-season.

Offseason

* November 30, 1988:

Bob Boone Robert Raymond Boone (born November 19, 1947) is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who was a four-time All-Star. Born in San Diego, California, he is the son of MLB player Ray Boone, and he is the father of ...

was signed as a free agent by the Royals. * December 6, 1988:

Bill Buckner William Joseph Buckner (December 14, 1949 – May 27, 2019) was an American first baseman and left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams from through , most notably the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston R ...

was signed as a free agent by the Royals. * December 6, 1988: Mauro Gozzo was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays from the Kansas City Royals in the 1988 minor league draft. * March 22, 1989: Daryl Smith was signed as a free agent by the Royals.

Regular season

* May 15, 1989: Royals pitcher

Floyd Bannister Floyd Franklin Bannister (born June 10, 1955) is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros (–), Seattle Mariners (–), Chicago White Sox (–), Kansas City R ...

threw exactly three pitches and recorded three outs. This was accomplished in the second inning. * June 5, 1989: Kansas City outfielder

Bo Jackson Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962) is an American former professional baseball and American football, football player. He is the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-star#Sports, All-Star in Major professio ...

made a spectacular defensive play in a game against the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

at the

Kingdome The Kingdome (officially the King County Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Industrial District, Seattle, Industrial District (later SoDo, Seattle, SoDo) neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. O ...

. With the game tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the 10th inning and

Harold Reynolds Harold Craig Reynolds (born November 26, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from to , most prominently as a member of the Se ...

on first, Scott Bradley lashed a double to deep left field. Reynolds, running with the pitch, thought he would easily score the winning run on the play, and was shocked when teammate Darnell Coles instructed him to slide. Jackson fielded Bradley's double and launched a flat-footed, 300-foot throw on the fly to Royals catcher

, who tagged Reynolds out at the plate. *During the season, Bret Saberhagen would be the last pitcher to win at least 20 games in one season for the Royals in the 20th century. *The last time the Royals will win at least 90 games until the 2015 season.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Transactions

*June 5, 1989: Brent Mayne was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 1st round (13th pick) of the 1989 amateur draft. Player signed June 16, 1989.

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Awards and honors

* Bo Jackson, All-Star Game, American League, Starting Lineup * Bo Jackson, MLB All-Star Game MVP * Bret Saberhagen, Cy Young Award

Farm system

Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 2nd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997

References

External links

1989 Kansas City Royals
at ''Baseball Reference''
1989 Kansas City Royals
at ''Baseball Almanac'' {{DEFAULTSORT:1989 Kansas City Royals Season Kansas City Royals seasons

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

1989 in sports in Missouri