{"id":1789416,"date":"2026-06-17T03:04:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T03:04:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/?p=1789416"},"modified":"2026-06-17T03:04:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T03:04:38","slug":"one-shot-at-glory-the-royals-one-time-all-stars-part-1-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/one-shot-at-glory-the-royals-one-time-all-stars-part-1-history\/","title":{"rendered":"One Shot At Glory: The Royals\u2019 One-Time All Stars, Part 1 \u2013 History"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tWith All-Star voting underway, I thought it would be interesting to look at the Royals\u2019 one-time All-Stars. After all, you already know about George Brett<\/a> and Salvador Perez<\/a>. There are some surprising names on this list, as well as some relatively obscure players. To start with, let\u2019s examine the one-timers from the club\u2019s inception in 1969 through the 1980s (that\u2019s a good place to end Part 1, as you\u2019ll see). I borrowed this concept from the Phillies site, The Good Phight.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Royals\u2019 first team produced one All-Star, which probably isn\u2019t that surprising; expansion teams are usually made of castoffs, after all. Rodriguez was deemed expendable by the New York Yankees before the 1968 expansion draft, and the Royals used the 13th pick on him. He was the Opening Day catcher but didn\u2019t really claim the starting job until late May. Given regular playing time, he responded with a hot month of June, hitting .281\/.361\/.422. His season totals on July 16, when the reserves were chosen for the AL team, were just .257\/.344\/.341 with two home runs and 13 RBI. But AL manager Mayo Smith<\/a> only selected eight pitchers, and stocked his bench with six outfielders.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso, the Royals\u2019 brass spoke highly of Rodriguez\u2019s defensive ability.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere isn\u2019t any doubt about his defensive ability. He takes command behind the plate and has the knack of making a pitcher bear down all the time.\u201d –Royals general manager Cedric Tallis, quoted by Paul O\u2019Boynick, The Kansas City Times, July 17, 1969<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe is a good analyst behind the plate and is quick on blocking low pitches. Ellie has come a long way since spring training. He\u2019s a bulldog behind the plate.\u201d –Royals manager Joe Gordon<\/a>, quoted by Paul O\u2019Boynick, The Kansas City Times, July 17, 1969<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tSadly, Rodriguez did not get in the game. Starter Bill Freehan<\/a> of Detroit played the first six innings, and Minnesota\u2019s John Roseboro<\/a> played the final three. Smith did use a pinch-hitter for Roseboro in the bottom of the ninth, but the game ended with the NL on top, 9-3.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tRodriguez, who just passed away in April at age 79, was dealt to Milwaukee after the 1970 season. He would be named to one more All-Star team while with the Brewers during the 1972 campaign. He didn\u2019t get to play in that one, either.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tI suppose lots of people would guess that Sweet Lou was the Royals\u2019 first All-Star, as he won the Rookie of the Year award in 1969. But despite a solid .282\/.325\/.416 line that year, Piniella had to wait until 1972 to be named to the All-Star team.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the middle of what was probably his best season, Piniella was a deserving choice. When the reserves were named by manager Earl Weaver<\/a> on July 20 (the game was really late on the calendar that year), Piniella was second in the AL with a .321 batting average, and he had nine home runs and 43 RBI.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSure, I\u2019m happy, very happy. Elated might be a better way to describe the way I feel. You hear talk about how some players would rather have three days off. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll get to play, but I\u2019d rather be at the All-Star Game.\u201d –Piniella, quoted by Sid Bordman, The Kansas City Star, July 21, 1972<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tPiniella did get to play, grounding out as a pinch-hitter in the 10th inning of the NL\u2019s 4-3 win. Piniella was traded by the Royals to the New York Yankees after the 1973 season. Perhaps surprisingly, 1972 was his only All-Star Game as a player; of course, he would manage the National League in the 1991 game after his Cincinnati Reds won the pennant and World Series the previous year.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tPiniella was joined on the All-Star team by his outfield mate, Scheinblum. Actually, Amos Otis<\/a> also made the team, so the Royals\u2019 entire starting outfield was selected, along with second baseman Cookie Rojas<\/a>. Also, manager Bob Lemon<\/a> was named as one of Weaver\u2019s coaches for the game, giving Kansas City five representatives.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tScheinblum, who was in his first year with the Royals after playing sparingly for Cleveland and Washington, was having the season of his life. He was leading the league with a .325 average when the reserves were selected (while Piniella was second, Otis was third at .309).\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m glad all three of us were picked. I thought maybe they\u2019d take two\u2013but not three. This is probably more of a thrill for me than the others. This time last year, I was in the minors. I\u2019m not fast on the bases or in the outfield, but I give 100 percent. I\u2019m just glad people have noticed I\u2019m hitting.\u201d–Scheinblum, quoted by Sid Bordman, The Kansas City Star, July 21, 1972<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite that scouting report, Scheinblum did get to play in the game, replacing Bobby Murcer<\/a> in the outfield in the sixth inning. He only got one at-bat, a groundout that came just after Rojas hit a two-run home run to give the AL the lead.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tScheinblum finished the year with a .300\/.383\/.418 line, and the Royals wisely sold high, trading him to Cincinnati after the season for Hal McRae<\/a>, a deal which helped launch Kansas City\u2019s decade-plus of strong teams. Scheinblum would be done as a major leaguer after the 1974 season, and this was his only appearance in the Midsummer Classic.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tLarry Gura went 16-4 with a 2.72 ERA in 1978 and finished seventh in the Cy Young<\/a> vote. He didn\u2019t make the All-Star team. In 1979, he fell back to a 13-12 mark with a 4.47 ERA. But in 1980, he found himself with a 10-3 record and a 2.09 ERA at the end of June. That got him the nod from AL manager Weaver, one of just eight pitchers selected by the Baltimore manager.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tA soft-tossing southpaw, Gura was the proverbial \u201ccrafty lefty.\u201d The 1980 season was the only time he reached the 100 mark for strikeouts, but he won 126 games in the majors, 111 of them for the Royals. Not bad for a pitcher the team acquired for catcher Fran Healy<\/a>, whose career ended after one game in the 1978 season. As for being an All-Star, Gura didn\u2019t seem to be overwhelmed by the news.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMaybe when I\u2019m out of baseball, looking back, it\u2019ll mean a lot more. Baseball for us is such an everyday thing, routine. So often we have to go out tomorrow and forget today even happened.\u201d –Gura, quoted by Mike McKenzie, The Kansas City Times, July 8, 1980<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tPresumably, Gura did not forget his experience at the game, although he did not appear in the NL\u2019s 4-2 win. \u00a0He did enjoy two more finishes in the top ten of Cy Young voting and was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 1992, but never made another All-Star team.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIf Kevin Seitzer felt any pressure about taking over third base from Royals legend George Brett (who moved over to first base full-time during the 1987 season), he certainly didn\u2019t show it. He made the All-Star team as a rookie, thanks to a .306\/.389\/.418 line through July 11, when he was named to the team\u2026as an injury replacement for Brett, of course. With the news coming just a few days before the game, Seitzer\u2019s plans for the break were thrown into chaos.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis is just a drastic change in plans for me. Everything\u2019s screwed up. I left my good clothes at the cleaners before the road trip, and I\u2019ve got to fly from here (to Oakland).\u201d–Seitzer, quoted by Jack Etkin, The Kansas City Star, July 12, 1987<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBut Seitzer was more ready mentally.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m expecting I\u2019m going to play because they want me to back up (Wade) Boggs. I imagine I\u2019ll get an at-bat. If I don\u2019t, it\u2019s an honor just to be there.\u201d–Seitzer, quoted by Jack Etkin, The Kansas City Star, July 12, 1987<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIn fact, Seitzer got two at-bats, plus a walk, after he replaced Boggs following the fifth inning. He almost won the game for the AL, too. Facing Lee Smith<\/a> in the bottom of the 10th of a scoreless tie, he hit a fly ball to deep center field. Alas, it was caught on the warning track for the last out. Leading off the 12th, after the NL scored two runs in the top of the inning, he drew that walk, but never made it off first base.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tSeitzer ended his rookie year with a .323\/.399\/.470 line, 15 homers, 83 RBI, and a league-leading 207 hits. A lot of years that would earn him a Rookie of the Year award, but this happened to be the season Mark McGwire<\/a> bashed 49 home runs, so Seitzer finished second in the voting. He made one more All-Star team in his career, representing Milwaukee in the 1995 contest. This time, he got to pinch-hit for Boggs, a story he should tell his grandkids until they get sick of it.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter years of light-hitting shortstops, the Royals thought they had solved that problem when they traded for Kurt Stillwell, sending pitcher Danny Jackson<\/a> to Cincinnati before the 1988 season. It was a trade that helped both teams right away, because Jackson won 23 games for the Reds, while Stillwell hit .251\/.322\/.399 for the Royals. That may not seem great, but compared to what the Royals had been getting from that spot, it was basically Bobby Witt Jr.<\/a> Anyway, Stillwell did have some good fortune in his selection; both Alan Trammell<\/a> (the winner of the fan voting) and Ozzie Guillen<\/a> (Trammell\u2019s replacement), suffered injuries in early July. Stillwell himself was battling a slight groin pull, but the news of his selection helped him feel better.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI thought I could have played the last three days, anyway. (The Royals) were just being cautious. And with the All-Star break, they wanted to take advantage of it. I won\u2019t be able to get the rest they wanted now, but hey, if they wanted me this bad, I\u2019m going to make the most of it. It\u2019s hard for me to believe everything worked out for me the way it did. I\u2019m still in shock. Everything went my way, kind of like I\u2019m the alternate to the alternate.\u201d –Stillwell, quoted by Bob Nightengale, The Kansas City Times, July 11, 1988<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tStillwell finally got in the game in the bottom of the ninth, with the AL clinging to a 2-1 lead. He at least did get to catch the first out of the inning, and the AL held on to the lead.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThat would be it for Stillwell\u2019s All-Star appearances. After two good seasons and two subpar ones in Kansas City, he bounced around as a free agent for a few seasons, but never really came close to his 1988 success again.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s hard to do much better in your All-Star Game debut than Bo Jackson did. In his third full season, he was elected to start the game by the fans; in fact, he was the AL\u2019s leading vote-getter. Of course, he was one of the most famous baseball players in the country, thanks to his football \u201chobby.\u201d He was having a good season, too, hitting .268\/.308\/.525 with 18 home runs, 52 RBI, and 20 stolen bases through the end of June. AL manager Tony La Russa, who had seen Jackson\u2019s talent plenty as the manager of the Oakland A\u2019s, mused about batting him leadoff in the All-Star Game.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter, just being on the field in Anaheim that night, that\u2019s all that matters. It\u2019s all God-given talent, so I don\u2019t give myself credit for doing anything. It means something special, but you can\u2019t let that stuff sink into your head because then you start believing you\u2019re better than you are. I let it go in one ear and out the other.\u201d –Jackson, quoted by Dick Kaegel, The Kansas City Times, July 6, 1989<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tLaRussa did put Jackson in the leadoff spot, and it paid off. The pregame talk was that the start time would make it hard for hitters to see the ball in the twilight in Anaheim. But the NL scored two runs in the top of the first, and Jackson led off the bottom of the inning with a mammoth blast to center field, roughly 450 feet away from the plate.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tHe was hardly done showing off his talent. In the second inning, he showcased his speed, beating out a relay throw on a double play and allowing the go-ahead run to score. He then stole second and moved up to third when the throw sailed into center field (the home run and stolen base combo put him in an exclusive club with Willie Mays<\/a> at the time). He also singled in the game and walked away with the MVP trophy. Oh, and Nike premiered the \u201cBo Knows\u201d TV spot during the game. Not a bad night\u2019s work!<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tMost people watching that night likely thought this was just the first of many All-Star Games featuring Bo, but as we know now, it was not to be. Despite a solid first half in 1990, he was not selected for the team. Then, in January 1991, he suffered a hip injury while playing football for the Los Angeles Raiders. It ended his football career, and his baseball career was never the same; just the fact that he came back to the sport and even played after having that hip replacement was amazing enough. So this was Bo\u2019s one All-Star appearance, but it was certainly a memorable one.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

<!–<\/p>\n

\n

Are you interested in Brewers history? Then check out the Milwaukee Brewers Players Project, a community-driven project to discover and collect great information on every player to wear a Brewers uniform!<\/i><\/p>\n

View The Players Project<\/a>–>\n \t<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source royalskeep.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 O artigo anterior foi obtido e traduzido do site internacional da celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With All-Star voting underway, I thought it would be interesting to look at the Royals\u2019 one-time All-Stars. After all, you already know about George Brett and Salvador Perez. There are some surprising names on this list, as well as some relatively obscure players. To start with, let\u2019s examine the one-timers from the club\u2019s inception in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1789417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1789416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-realeza"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1789416"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1789418,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1789416\/revisions\/1789418"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1789417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1789416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1789416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1789416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}