Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES Chciago White Sox (0-0) @ Kansas City Royals (0-0) Kauffman Stadium - Monday, April 6, 2015 Game #1 - Home Game #1 Fox Sports Kansas City (HD) and KCSP Radio (610 Sports) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Tuesday, April 7: Off day Wednesday, April 8 vs. Chicago White Sox: LHP Jose Quintana vs. LHP Danny Duffy, 7:10 p.m. (CDT), FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Thursday, April 9 vs. Chicago White Sox:LHP John Danks vs. RHP Edinson Volquez, 1:10 p.m. (CDT), FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Friday, April 10 @ Los Angeles Angels: LHP Jason Vargas vs. TBA, 9:05 p.m. (CDT), FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Saturday, April 11 @ Los Angeles Angels: RHP Jeremy Guthrie vs. TBA, 8:05 p.m. (CDT), FOX Sports 1 (HD) & 610 Sports Sunday, April 12 @ Los Angeles Angels: RHP Yordano Ventura (0-0+ today) vs. TBA, 2:35 p.m. (CDT), FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Today’s game is being broadcast in Kansas City on KCSP Radio (610 Sports) and the Royals Radio Network with Denny Matthews, Steve Physioc and Steve Stewart, while Don Free controls the dials as the producer/engineer...today’s game is being televised in High Definition by Fox Sports Kansas City with Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler...the pre and postgame show on FSKC, Royals Live, is hosted by Joel Goldberg, who is joined by Jeff Montgomery. White Sox vs. Royals KC STARTS TITLE DEFENSE--The 47th season opener in franchise history will start with the raising of Today kicks off the 19-game season series between these A.L. the American League Championship banner and distribution of rings to those who participated last season, Central rivals...just 9 of the 19 will be contested here in Kansas but once the ceremonies are completed the Royals will begin their first title defense since 1985...last year’s City, while 10 will take place in the Windy City...the Royals were 89-73 ledger was good enough to qualify as a Wild Card entrant into the postseason tournament and KC 13-6 vs. the ChiSox last year, including a 5-4 ledger here and solid took full advantage by establishing a Major League record by winning each of its first eight playoff games... 8-2 mark in “The Cell” including the playoff clinching triumph on the final Friday of the regular season...KC trails the all-time series the streak encompassed the crazy 9-8 Wild Card victory here over the A’s and was subsequently followed by by a 337-363 mark, but holds a 182-162 advantage in Kansas City, a 3-0 sweep of the Angels in the ALDS and a 4-0 brooming of the Orioles in the ALCS, clinching all three 160-151 in “The K.” advancements here in Kauffman Stadium...Kansas City’s first loss was in Game #1 of the World Series vs. San Date Site Score WP LP Att. 4/6 KC Francisco and its last setback occurred here in Game #7. 4/8 KC 4/9 KC OPENING DAY DROUGHT--The Royals are opening the year in Kauffman Stadium for the first time 4/23 @ Chi since 2011 when KC dropped a 4-2 decision to the Angels...overall, Kansas City is seeking to snap a 6-game 4/24 @ Chi slide in season openers, the last win occurring in Detroit on March 31, 2008, a 5-4 victory over the Tigers... 4/25 @ Chi 4/26 @ Chi the Royals last won in “The K” in a lid-lifter on April 2, 2007, when Gil Meche stymied the Red Sox in a 7/17 @ Chi 7-1 victory...Kansas City is 15-31 in season openers with today the 24th time that Kansas City has opened 7/18 @ Chi at home, posting a 10-13 mark...this marks the eighth time that KC has started its season against the White 7/19 @ Chi 8/7 KC Sox, going 3-4 in the first seven, including a 3-1 mark here vs. the ChiSox. 8/8 KC 8/9 KC ROAD WARRIORS IN ‘14--Last year’s club posted the franchise’s most wins (89) and best winning 9/4 KC percentage (.549) since recording a 92-70 mark during the 1989 season...the 2014 Royals went 47-32 on 9/5 KC the road, the most regular season road wins in the American League last year, only two behind the big league 9/6 KC 9/29 @ Chi leading Dodgers and the most for the franchise since winning a club record 48 away from home in 1980... 9/30 @ Chi KC then went 4-2 away from “The K” in the postseason, highlighted by 2-0 stops in both Anaheim and 10/1 @ Chi Baltimore, before going 1-2 in San Francisco during the Fall Classic. FINAL ROSTER--The Royals finalized their 2015 Opening Day roster by selecting the contracts of right-handed pitcher Ryan Madson and left-handed pitcher Franklin Morales, adding them to the 25-man Major League roster...the club placed left-handed pitcher Tim Collins (Tommy John surgery) and right-handed pitcher Luke Hochevar (recovery from Tommy John surgery) on the 15-day disabled list to start the year...the final roster features 12 pitchers (Wade Davis, Danny Duffy-LHP, Jason Frasor, Jeremy Guthrie, Kelvin Herrera, Greg Holland, Madson, Morales, Jason Vargas-LHP, Yordano Ventura, Edinson Volquez and Chris Young); two catchers (Erik Kratz and Salvador Perez); six infielders (Christian Colon, Alcides Escobar, Eric Hosmer, Omar Infante, Kendrys Morales and Mike Moustakas) and five outfielders (Lorenzo Cain, Jarrod Dyson, Alex Gordon, Paulo Orlando and Alex Rios). NEW FACES IN 2014--The Royals have 11 players today that weren’t on last year’s Opening Day roster in Detroit...newcomers to KC’s roster since the 2014 opener include Christian Colon, Danny Duffy, Jason Frasor, Erik Kratz, Ryan Madson, Franklin Morales, Kendrys Morales, Paulo Orlando, Alex Rios, Edinson Volquez and Chris Young...the Royals are starting seven players from last year’s Opening Day lineup (Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Alex Gordon, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez and Omar Infante)...Gordon and Escobar now have the longest current Opening Day lineup streak with today their fifth straight and the eighth in the last nine years for Gordon...the five straight starts in leftfield for Gordo establish a club mark for that position that he had shared with Bo Jackson. TODAY’S STARTING PITCHERS: Jeff Samardzija (7-13, 2.99 ERA in ‘14) vs. Yordano Ventura (14-10, 3.20 ERA in ‘14) 2014 2013 Career 2014 2013 Career Jeff Samardzija vs. Royals 0-1 - 0-2 Major League Record 7-13 (2.99 ERA) 8-13 36-48 Yordano Ventura vs. White Sox 1-1 0-1 1-2 Major League Record 14-10 (3.20 ERA) 0-1 14-11 YORDANO VENTURA receives his first Opening Day assignment, becoming the second-youngest Royals pitcher (23 years, 306 days) to start on Opening Day... he received a five-year contract with two option years on Saturday...today is his 34th regular season start and 35th overall outing and his fifth career start vs. the White Sox...he was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent on October 8, 2008 out of the Dominican Republic...he’s the 23rd different overall Opening Day starter in team history, Yordano’s 2015 spring appearances DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT sixth in the last seven years. 3/6 @ Cleveland ND, 11-9 1.0 4 4 4 0 2 1 - - LOOKING BACK AT ‘14--Yordano produced one of the best rookie seasons by a 3/11 vs. San Diego ND, 4-3 3.0 4 0 0 0 1 3 - - 3/16 vs. Cleveland ND, 6-5 3.0 7 4 4 0 1 5 - - Royals’ pitcher in club history, becoming just the fourth KC freshman hurler to start 30 games 3/27 vs. Seattle W, 5-1 7.0 0 0 0 0 2 4 - - or more...his 14 victories tied Rich Gale (1978) for fourth by a Royals rookie and were tops 4/1 vs. L.A. Dodgers ND, 4-4 4.0 4 2 1 0 1 3 - - 2015 Spring Totals 1-0, 4.50 18.0 19 10 9 0 7 16 - - since Tom Gordon’s team-record 17 wins during his first season (1988)...he led MLB first-year pitchers in innings (183.0) and opponents’ average (.240), while setting the club’s rookie record with 22 quality starts, which were also tops among A.L. rookies in 2014. YOUNGEST OPENING DAY HURLER IN 42 YEARS--At 23 years, 307 days (born June 3, 1991), Yordano becomes the second-youngest Royals pitcher to start an Opening Day game, behind only Steve Busby’s (23 years, 189 days) outing in the 1973 lid-lifter against the Angels at ‘The Big A’...Ventura’s start today also marks just the fifth time in team history that it’s Opening Day starting pitcher is younger than 25 years of age...according to Elias Sports Bureau, Yordano is the sixth Major League pitcher under the age of 24 to get an Opening Day assignment since the start of 2011, and the only one scheduled to go this season. SPRING STATS--Ventura went 1-0 in his five spring starts (9 ER in 18.0 IP), with eight of his nine earned runs coming over two outings against Cleveland...he recorded 16 strikeouts...his best outing was on the evening of March 27, when he no-hit the Mariners for 7.0 frames before hitting his pitch limit and coming out of the game, a 5-1 Royals win.