Freddie Joseph Patek, nicknamed "the Flea" or "the Cricket", is an American former professional baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals and California Angels. At 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm) tall, he was the shortest MLB player of his time.
Freddie Patek
George Brett, Patek, Amos Otis and Gerald Ford (left to right) in 1976
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team was founded as an expansion franchise in 1969, and have made four World Series trips, winning in 1985 and 2015, and losing in 1980 and 2014. Outside of a dominant 10-year stretch between 1976 and 1985, and a brief, albeit dominant, resurgence from 2013 to 2015, the Royals have combined for a bottom-ten all time winning percentage in MLB history.
The Royals wore their trademark powder blue road uniforms from 1973 to 1991 and reintroduced it in 2008 as an alternate jersey.
A game versus the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium (then Royals Stadium), September 1976
George Brett bats during a 1990 game at Kauffman Stadium (then Royals Stadium)
Kauffman Stadium underwent renovations in 2009, including the addition of a high-definition scoreboard.