2011 Kansas City Royals season
| 2011 Kansas City Royals | |
|---|---|
| Major League affiliations | |
|
|
|
|
| Location | |
|
|
|
|
| Results | |
| Record | 71–91 (.438) |
| Divisional place | 4th |
| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | David Glass |
| General manager(s) | Dayton Moore |
| Manager(s) | Ned Yost |
| Local television |
Fox Sports Kansas City (Ryan Lefebvre, Paul Splittorff through May 25, Frank White) |
| Local radio |
KCSP 610 AM (Denny Matthews, Bob Davis, Steve Stewart, Ryan Lefebvre) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The Kansas City Royals' season of 2011 was the 43rd for the Royals franchise. It was the fifth full season with Dayton Moore as General Manager. The team was managed by Ned Yost in his first full season with the Royals. The Royals have not been to the playoffs since 1985.
On November 10, 2010, the Royals traded outfielder David DeJesus for the right-handed, starting pitcher Vin Mazzaro from the Oakland Athletics and minor league pitcher Justin Marks. Mazzaro was 10-17 with a 4.72 ERA in 41 career Major League appearances, including 35 starts, for the Athletics in 2009 and 2010.
Bruce Chen began the year with a 4-1 record and 3.59 ERA in seven starts for the Royals. Chen was placed on the 15-day Disabled List on May 11 (retroactive to May 6), with a strain, and right-handed pitcher Vin Mazzaro was recalled from the Omaha Storm Chasers. Mazzaro's first start was on May 11 versus the New York Yankees. Mazzaro's stay with the Royals was a short-lived one. Following his second appearance on May 16, in which he allowed 14 earned runs in 2⅓ innings of relief, a team record for runs given up by one pitcher in a game, and the worst performance of a pitcher in the Major Leagues since the first half of the 20th century,– Mazzaro was optioned to Omaha, and left-hand relief pitcher Everett Teaford was called up to replace him. Mazzaro pitched 6⅓ innings with a 22.74 ERA in his two appearances.
The Royals opened the season at home on Thursday, March 31, in a four-game weekend series versus the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It was their first Opening Day meeting since 1975 when the Angels hosted the Royals. Luke Hochevar, who was the first-round draft pick of the Royals in 2006, was chosen to pitch in his first Opening Day start. He gave up four runs, including two sole home runs, in 5⅔ innings for the loss. The opposing starter Jered Weaver pitched 6⅓ scoreless innings to earn his first win of the season with Fernando Rodney closing the game in the ninth inning for his first save as the Angels defeated the Royals, 4-2. The attendance for the game was 40,055, (currently) the highest of any home game during the season. This game also saw the major league debut of three Royals rookie pitchers: Aaron Crow, Tim Collins, and Nathan Adcock.
...
Wikipedia