On April 1, 1969, the Seattle Pilots trade little-known minor league outfielder Lou Piniella to the Kansas City Royals for outfielder Steve Whitaker and pitcher John Gelnar. Piniella will hit .282 with 11 home runs and 68 RBIs-good enough to win American League Rookie of the Year honors…
Kansas City Royals trade pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm to the California Angels
1968 – One of the two American League expansion teams announces its nickname. The Kansas City franchise, now known as the “Royals”, will begin play in 1969. Kansas City’s last major league franchise, the Athletics, moved to Oakland after the 1967 season. The name evokes the Negro League Kansas City Monarchs and the annual “American Royal” Horse Show, held in Kansas City.
Baseball is the only game you can watch on the radio. Join the community today and listen to hundreds of broadcasts from baseball’s golden age.” Sign Up or learn more [mepr-login-form use_redirect=”true”] On October 18, 1967, The American League owners grant Charlie Finley permission to move the Kansas City Athletics to Oakland, California, in…