2017 Royals Season in Review: Best home runs

The Royals set a franchise record in 2017 with 193 home runs, which, in the “Year of the Home Run” was actually only good for 11th-best in the American League. Still, there were some pretty memorable blasts for our Royals, and here are some of the most memorable.

March 15 - Eric Hosmer hit game-winning home run for Team USA in World Baseball Classic

Eric Homer brought his penchant for big hits in the spotlight to the World Baseball Classic, representing the United States. A few pundits raised eyebrows when manager Jim Leyland gave Hos the start at first base over Diamondbacks slugger Paul Goldschmidt, but Hosmer justified Leyland’s faith in him with a huge performance. Hosmer hit .385 with five RBI in eight games, including a huge two-run home run in the eighth to give Team USA a 4-2 win over Venezuela.

May 14 - Soler hangs a huge dong

Jorge Soler was a huge disappointment for the Royals in 2017, spending most of the season in the minor leagues. He hit just two home runs in 35 Major League games, but one of those dingers was monstrous.

With the Royals already up 7-5, Soler perhaps took out some of his frustrations on the season on Orioles pitcher Richard Bleier. Soler took a hanging breaking pitch and destroyed it, with the ball traveling over the green hitter’s-eye in dead center field at Kauffman Stadium. The ball traveled 470 feet, the 14th-longest home run hit in the big leagues this season.

June 6 - Moose walks off

The Astros had an 11-game winning streak on the line as they took a four-run lead into the eighth inning. Somewhere, Texas Governor Greg Abbott was likely composing a tweet congratulating them on extending their streak. But the Royals had different plans. They battled back and tied it in the eighth, then Moose sent everyone home with a two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth to disappoint the Astros once again.

June 10 - Terrance Gore goes yard for Omaha

Terrance Gore is known for being fast. Being fast does not help you hit home runs. Going into this season, Terrance Gore had been at-bat 1,815 times as a professional player, with the same number of home runs as I have hit - zero.

That all changed on June 10. Anything is possible. Believe in your dreams. Be cool, stay in school.

August 23 - That is no way to treat an old friend, Hosmer

Hosmer had a career year in 2017, tying a career-high with 25 home runs. But the biggest one was probably in late August, as the Royals were struggling to stay in the Wild Card race. The Rockies were in town, in a pennant race of their own, with former Royals closer Greg Holland in to hold onto a 4-3 lead. Holland had been struggling in the last week, and Hosmer added to those struggles with a monstrous three-run walk-off home run - the first of his career - to win the game.

September 20 - Bye-Bye, Balboni

In the mid-90s and early 2000s, many muscle-bound players were ‘roided up to the hilt, smashing dongs in bandbox stadiums to throngs of cheering baseball fans. Home run records all over baseball fell left and right.

Not so in Kansas City! The club home run record still rested with a portly man in the 1980s named Steve Balboni, who clubbed 36 home runs in 1985. For 32 years that record stood, until Michael Moustakas set aim. Moose got off to a torrid start and was among the league leaders in home runs much of the year. He hit #36 on September 1, giving him a full month to set the club record. But injuries hampered him, and he didn’t break the record until September 20, off Blue Jays pitcher Carlos Ramirez. Moustakas ended the season with 38, and we shall see how long that record stands.