Kauffman Stadium From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium The K Former names Royals Stadium (1973–1993) Location One Royal Way Kansas City, Missouri 64129-6969 Coordinates 39°03′05″N 98°28′49″W / 39.05139°N 98.48028°W / 39.05139; -98.48028 Opened April 10, 1973 Owner Jackson County Surface Grass (mix of bluegrass and rye, 1995–Present) AstroTurf (1973–1994) Construction cost $70 million USD Architect Kivett and Myers Capacity 27,000[1] Reduced from the early 2008 capacity of 38,030 [2] due to ongoing renovations [1] Field dimensions Left Field: 330 ft / 101 m Left-Center: 390 ft / 116 m Center Field: 410 ft / 124 m Right-Center: 390 ft / 116 m Right Field: 330 ft / 101 m Tenants Kansas City Royals (MLB) (1973–Present) Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium (pronounced /ˈkɔfmən/; formerly Royals Stadium) is a Major League Baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the Kansas City Royals of the American League. Together with Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, it is a part of the Truman Sports Complex. Since July 2, 1993, the venue has been known as Kauffman Stadium in honor of the Royals' founding owner, Ewing Kauffman. Kauffman Stadium was built specifically for baseball during an era where building multisport "cookie-cutter" stadiums was commonplace. Kauffman Stadium is often held up along with Dodger Stadium as one of the best examples of modernist stadium design. The stadium is currently 35 years old, making it the sixth-oldest stadium in major-league baseball. The stadium is undergoing a $250 million dollar renovation, scheduled for completion in 2009.[dated info] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Features 3 Renovations 4 Buck O'Neil legacy seat 5 References 6 External links [edit] History The stadium as it looked in 1981.In 1967,voters Jackson County, Missouri approved the bonds for Truman Sports Complex, which featured a football stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs and a baseball stadium for the Kansas City Athletics, whose owner, Charles O. Finley, had just signed a new lease to remain in Kansas City. This was unusual for the time; it was long considered conventional wisdom that separate football and baseball stadiums were not commercially viable. Before the 1968 season, however, Finley moved the A's to Oakland, California, and their brand-new multi-purpose stadium. After the move, Missouri Senator Stuart Symington threatened to revoke baseball's anti-trust exemption if they did not give Kansas City a new team. Baseball responded by hastily granting expansion franchises to four cities, including a Kansas City team owned by local pharmaceutical magnate Ewing Kauffman. The new teams were due to start play in 1971, but pressure from Symington forced them to move up the start date to 1969. Jackson County continued its plans to build a new ballpark. After playing four seasons in Kansas City Municipal Stadium, on April 10, 1973, the Royals inaugurated Royals Stadium with a win over the Texas Rangers. On May 15, 1973, the stadium, barely a month into its existence, saw Nolan Ryan, pitching for the California Angels, throw the first of his seven no-hitters, blanking the Royals 3–0. On July 24, 1973, Royals Stadium hosted its first and only Major League Baseball All-Star Game. On October 9, 1976, the Royals competed in their first post-season game in franchise history, losing 4–1 to the New York Yankees at Royals Stadium in the American League Championship Series. The Royals came back to win the next game on October 10, 6–3, for their first post-season win in Royals Stadium. Present day Kauffman Stadium as it appears from behind center field.On October 17, 1980, the first World Series game held in Kansas City featured the hometown Royals against the Philadelphia Phillies. In his first at-bat, George Brett hit a home run down the right field line. The Royals would go on to record their first-ever World Series win, 4–3 in 10 innings. However, the Royals would lose the World Series that year in six games. On October 11, 1985, in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, George Brett hit two home runs off Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Doyle Alexander, made a back-handed stop at third base to throw out a runner at home, and recorded the final out to give the Royals a much-needed 6–5 win. The Royals went on to win the American League pennant in seven games. On October 27 of that same year, the Royals clinched their first World Series title in franchise history, winning Game 7 in Royals Stadium. Led by the pitching of Bret Saberhagen, Darryl Motley's two-run home run, and George Brett's four hits, the Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11–0. The Royals were the first team in the history of the World Series to lose the first two games of the series at home and come back to win. [edit] Features Kauffman Stadium was the sole baseball-only facility built in the majors between 1962 (Dodger Stadium) and 1991 (Comiskey Park II). Although it is a baseball-only facility, its design was similar to the cookie-cutter facilities of the day. It is basically the one-third of a cookie-cutter stadium that contains the better seats for baseball. That is, there are seats behind the plate and along the baselines, with smaller bleacher sections (or "outfield plazas," as the Royals call them) in the outfield. [3] The upper deck is quite steep, though not as high as other parks built during this time. Many minor-league stadiums built in the 1980s and early 1990s, as well as U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, employ a similar design. The sight lines are generally very good; the only seriously obstructed views are in the outfield plazas, where some seats are directly behind the foul poles. Many of the seats in the two view levels are almost as high as comparable seats in cookie-cutter stadiums, especially in the back rows. Most of the seats are on the first level, putting most of the fans very close to the action. The original seats at Royals Stadium were actually red, orange and yellow.[citation needed] By 2000, all of the seats were replaced by blue seats, the lower section seating also getting cupholders. The park's best-known feature is the fountain and waterfall display (known as the Water Spectacular) behind the right-field fence. At 322 feet, it is the largest privately-funded fountain in the world.[3] The fountains are on display before and after the game and in-between innings, while the waterfalls are constantly flowing. When the stadium was originally built, Kansas City was the westernmost major league city other than those along the Pacific Coast (1,600 miles away), which was a major reason why the Royals initially decided to use a faster-draining AstroTurf surface.[4] The Royals' home territory included a large swath of the Great Plains and Rockies, and Kauffman didn't want fans who drove many hundreds of miles to go home without seeing the game completed. The Truman Sports Complex's legendary groundskeeper, George Toma, best known as the head groundskeeper for every Super Bowl, thus had the ironic job of maintaining two carpets for most of his career, along with the surface of Arrowhead Stadium, which had AstroTurf from 1972 through 1993. The arrival of the Colorado Rockies, however, removed a significant portion of the Royals' once-vast home territory, and the turf was replaced by grass for the 1995 season. When the Royals ripped out the turf, 4 inch perforated tile was installed at 12.5-foot centers across the entire field. As a result, the current grass field drains very well. Many newer facilities (and some older facilities through retrofitting) have similar drainage systems to minimize downtime after rain delays. For many years, thousands of sawed webworm moths have descended on the stadium during rain delays.[citation needed] [edit] Renovations a inside screenshot of the renovated complex the view from the sky.On April 4, 2006, Jackson County, Missouri voters approved a 3/8ths cents sales tax increase to fund plans to renovate the Truman Sports Complex. The construction began with a ceremonial groundbreaking inside Kauffman Stadium on October 3, 2007, with completion of Kauffman Stadium in time for Opening Day in 2009, and full renovation of the complex (including nearby Arrowhead Stadium) by the year 2010, depending upon cost overruns. The team committed to a lease that will keep them in Kansas City until 2030, an extension of their current lease expiration of 2015. The new high definition scoreboard at Kauffman Stadium.The improvements to Kauffman Stadium included the following: Reducing capacity from 39,000 New high definition scoreboard, dubbed "Crown Vision" and control room Fountain view terraces Outfield concourse Kids' area Taste of KC Right field sports bar-themed restaurant Left field hall of fame and conference center New group sales areas Wide concourses New and upgraded concession and toilet amenities on all concourses Enhanced vertical circulation to all levels Four new entry ticket gates New press facilities The new high-definition scoreboard was one of the first things to be installed, and was ready for Opening Day 2008. It is 84 ft. wide and 105 ft. tall, and is currently the largest high-definition LED display in the world.[5] (It will be overtaken by the display at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium when it opens in June 2009.) The display was assembled in 55 separate segments, including an active bottom taper to resemble the shield in the Royals logo. The video scoreboard alone cost $8.3 million, and the control room that operates it is staffed with 17 people on game days.[6] It will be adorned with a crown during the 2008 offseason. Also, since this measure passed, MLB has stated that Kauffman Stadium will host the MLB All-Star Game sometime between 2011 and 2014. [7] As part of this measure, every Jackson County residential address will receive vouchers good for 50% off two tickets at Royals games on certain nights. A second proposal on the April 2006 ballot would have installed a rolling roof at the Truman Sports Complex. The roof could have been moved to cover either Kauffman Stadium or Arrowhead Stadium when needed. The measure failed at the polls. The O'Neil legacy seat. [edit] Buck O'Neil legacy seat Beginning with the 2007 season, the Royals had a red seat placed in the stadium amongst the all-blue seats behind home plate to honor Buck O'Neil. There will be a person selected every game from community nominees to sit in that seat, formerly occupied by O'Neil in Section 101, Row C, Seat 1, who embodies the spirit of Buck O'Neil. [edit] References ^ a b Kauffman renovations progressing ^ Kuaffman Stadium History ^ a b Pahigaian, Josh; Kevin O'Connell (2004). The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip. Guilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press. ISBN 1592281591. ^ Smith, Curt (2001). Storied Stadiums. New York City: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0786711876. ^ www.businesswire.com | 10/03/2007 | Royals Fans to Watch Highlights and Replays on World’s Largest HD Display ^ www.kansascity.com | 04/08/2008 | Royals scoreboard is a vision of the future ^ Selig sends All-Star Game to KC [edit] External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kauffman Stadium Ballpark Digest Visit to Kauffman Stadium The History of Kauffman Stadium A taste of the future Kauffman Stadium Preceded by Municipal Stadium Home of the Kansas City Royals 1973 – present Succeeded by Current Preceded by Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium Host of the All-Star Game 1973 Succeeded by Three Rivers Stadium [show]v • d • eThe Kansas City Area Kansas City • The Metro Area • History • Economy • Neighborhoods • Architecture • Fountains • Barbecue • Jazz • Broadcast • Film • Education • Sports [show]v • d • eKansas City Royals Based in Kansas City, Missouri The Franchise History • Expansion Draft • Seasons • Current Roster • Opening Day starting pitchers • All-Time Roster • Team Records • Awards & League Leaders • Broadcasters Ballparks Municipal Stadium • Kauffman Stadium Spring Training Surprise Stadium Culture Pine Tar Incident • The Call • Sluggerrr • Denny Matthews • American Royal Important Figures Ewing Kauffman • John Schuerholz • George Brett • Frank White • Willie Wilson • Amos Otis • Hal McRae • Bret Saberhagen • Dennis Leonard • Dick Howser • Jeff Montgomery • Kevin Appier • Dan Quisenberry • Paul Splittorff • Larry Gura • Bo Jackson • Mike Sweeney • Zack Greinke • Alex Gordon Team Hall of Fame Steve Busby • Amos Otis • Dick Howser • Cookie Rojas • Paul Splittorff • Dennis Leonard • Hal McRae • Joe Burke • Larry Gura • Freddie Patek • Ewing Kauffman • George Brett • Frank White • Muriel Kauffman • John Mayberry • Dan Quisenberry • Whitey Herzog • Willie Wilson • Jeff Montgomery • Denny Matthews • Bret Saberhagen • Mark Gubicza • Art Stewart Retired Numbers 5 • 10 • 20 • 42 Minors AAA: Omaha Royals • AA: Northwest Arkansas Naturals • A: Wilmington Blue Rocks • Burlington Bees • Rookie: Idaho Falls Chukars • Burlington Royals • AZL Royals • Dominican League Key Personnel Owner: David Glass • General Manager: Dayton Moore • Manager: Trey Hillman Team Managers Joe Gordon • Charlie Metro • Bob Lemon • Jack McKeon • Whitey Herzog • Jim Frey • Dick Howser • Mike Ferraro • Billy Gardner • John Wathan • Bob Schaefer • Hal McRae • Bob Boone • Tony Muser • John Mizerock • Tony Peña • Bob Schaefer • Buddy Bell • Trey Hillman World Series Championships (1) 1985 American League Pennants (2) 1980 • 1985 Division Titles Western: 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1980 • 1981 (second half) • 1984 • 1985 • Central: none • Wild Card: none [show] Seasons (41) 1960s 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 1970s 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 1980s 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 1990s 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 2000s 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 [show]v • d • eCurrent ballparks in Major League Baseball American League Angel Stadium of Anaheim · Comerica Park · Fenway Park · Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome · Kauffman Stadium · Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum · Oriole Park at Camden Yards · Progressive Field · Rangers Ballpark in Arlington · Rogers Centre · Safeco Field · Tropicana Field · U.S. Cellular Field · Yankee Stadium National League AT&T Park · Busch Stadium · Chase Field · Citi Field · Citizens Bank Park · Coors Field · Dodger Stadium · Dolphin Stadium · Great American Ball Park · Miller Park · Minute Maid Park · Nationals Park · Petco Park · PNC Park · Turner Field · Wrigley Field Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauffman_Stadium" Categories: Kansas City Royals | Major League Baseball venues | Major League Baseball All-Star Game venues | 1973 establishments | Sports venues in Kansas City, Missouri