Wins over Boston have been tough to come by lately for Kansas City

Wins over Boston have been tough to come by lately for Kansas City

Published Jun. 19, 2015 12:12 p.m. ET

Last season, the Kansas City Royals went 1-6 against the Boston Red Sox and had a tough time generating much offense. With KC sending right-hander Yohan Pino to the mound for Friday night's start in place of the injured Yordano Ventura, a better offensive effort this time around would certainly be welcome. 

ROYALS STATS VS. RED SOX IN 2014

    KC rank vs. any opponent in 2014
Record 1-6 Lowest win percentage 
Runs per game 3.00 Tie for second lowest (NYY - 2.57)
Average .224 Second lowest (NYY - .215)
OBP .279 Second lowest (NYY - .254)
SLG .310 Lowest
HR/9  0.29 Second lowest (LAA 0.16)

Take a moment and offer up a slow clap for manager Ned Yost, who became the franchise leader in wins after the Royals' win over Milwaukee on Thursday night. 

"I don't feel like I'm in the same class as Whitey Herzog and Dick Howser," a humble Yost said after the game.

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Well, guess what, Ned. You are. 

All-time winningest managers in Royals history

Manager Record
Ned Yost (2010-15) 411-427
Whitey Herzog (1975-79) 410-304
Dick Howser (1981-1986) 404-365
Tony Muser (1997-2002) 317-431
John Wathan (1987-91) 287-270

Alex Gordon is batting .347 in his career against the Red Sox, the highest batting average of any active player against Boston (minimum 150 plate appearances). 

HIGHEST CAREER BATTING AVERAGE VS. RED SOX

Player Average
Alex Gordon .347
Nelson Cruz .345
Kurt Suzuki .342
Justin Morneau .338
Miguel Cabrera .324

On the flip side, Boston's Dustin Pedroia owns a .381 average in 23 career games at Kauffman Stadium, which stacks up with any player who's ever played at The K. 

All-time highest career BA at The K (Minimum 100 PA)

Player Average
Erick Aybar .383
Dustin Pedroia .381
Chris Singleton  .381
Adrian Beltre .370
Ichiro Suzuki .370

The first game between the Red Sox and Royals figures to be a good one, as both clubs do remarkably well in series openers. 

SERIES OPENERS

Club Record Win percentage
Kansas City Royals 16-6 .727
Boston Red Sox 13-9 .591
Los Angeles Dodgers 13-9 .591
Pittsburgh Pirates 13-9 .591
Texas Rangers 13-9 .591
Toronto Blue Jays 13-9 .591

You can watch the Royals battle the Red Sox all weekend long on FOX Sports Kansas City. 

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