28 Jun 2022 - Tour of Kauffman Stadium, Home of the Kansas City Royals

 28 Jun

Today we toured Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball club.  Our goal is to visit every MLB stadium and we only have a handful left to visit.  

Kauffman Stadium is located across the parking lot from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs NFL team

Kauffman Stadium

Kauffman Stadium is named for Ewing Kauffman, the founder and first owner of the Royals. It opened in 1973 as Royals Stadium and was named for Kauffman twenty years later on July 2, 1993

Prior to Royals Stadium there was the Kansas City Municipal Stadium which opened 3 Jul 1923.  It was the home of the Kansas City Monarchs (Negro League), the Kansas City A;s, and the Kansas City Royals.  Municipal Stadium closed in 1972 and was demolished in 1976. 

 

Our tour started in the Team Store at 1100 hrs today.  We got here a bit early (imagine that) and walked around outside the stadium and then went inside the team store and looked around a bit.  We were able to get Doreen's MLB Passport stamped so we won't have to mess with that tomorrow when we come back for the game.

Soon our tour guide Mike arrived and we were off with our group of about 20. 

  Because of Covid, our visit to the dugout was first since the players could start straggling in any time for the 1900 hrs evening game.  We were not allowed on the field or in the visitor's dugout.  

The Royals dugout

A view of the digital scoreboard from the dugout

Hotlines to the bullpen, the media and the replay office

One of the camera positions

A view of the manicured field

All about replays, what is allowed and what is not

Our tour guide explaining the dugouts

Next stop was the room where post-game interviews are conducted with the managers of both teams.  It is lined with historic pictures about the Royals

We headed down the hallway and walked past the visitor's locker room on one side and the Royals locker room on the other.  Our tour guide explained the differences in how they are furnished and the amenities there for the MLB players.  

Next stop was the press box, which is located high above home plate.  The press have designated seating and there they compile their reports

A view from the pressbox

The windows in front of the pressbox are usually opened.  Once in a while a foul ball finds it's way inside, as evidence of the holes in the walls behind the press seating!

We toured one of the suites, which are of course very nice.  There is seating outside and lavishly furnished inside.  We walked by the owner's suite also but did not go inside.  It is much larger,  

Looking inside one of the suites

The seating outside the suites

Further down this level is an area called "Craft & Draft".  It is open to all attendees and the serve literally hundreds of different brands of beers and there is also a pizza kitchen too,  

Looking out towards the field from Crafts & Drafts

We then headed downstairs and into the left field area where the Hall of Fame museum is located.  It is open during the game and likely afterwards too.  In there is a great deal of history and artifacts relating to Royals All Stars, World Series games and much more.  

Just inside the Hall of Fame

Royals Gold Glove winners

3154 baseballs commemorating George Brett's hits over his career

1985 World Series trophy when the Royals beat the St Louis Cardinals 4-3

 

2015 World Series trophy when the Royals beat the New York Mets 4-1

Leaving the Hall of Fame we walked around the outfield, past the fountain that was added during a remodel in 2007

The fountain that operates multiple times during the games

A view back towards home plate

Kauffman Stadium is a beautiful MLB ballpark and we are looking forward to coming back tomorrow to watch the Kansas City Royals host the Texas Rangers.