It’s a record that — somehow — has held up through the years.
It survived the Steroid Era, the expansion years that saw an influx of less-experienced pitchers and numerous challenges.
In the history of Major League Baseball, 508 players have hit 37 home runs or more in a season. None did so while playing for the Royals. The Royals’ single-season record was set in 1985 by first baseman Steve Balboni, who told me in 2013: “It’s 36 home runs. I don’t feel like it’s anything special.”
Some came close. There was Danny Tartabull in 1987 (34), Gary Gaetti in 1995 (35 in just 137 games), Dean Palmer in 1998 (34) and Jermaine Dye in 2000 (33).