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