Al Fitzmorris, an original KC Royal & one of team’s winningest players, dies at 78
Al Fitzmorris, a right-handed pitcher with one of the highest winning percentages in Royals history, has died, the team announced Wednesday. He was 78.
Fitzmorris, a late-season call-up as a rookie in 1969, was part of the team’s inaugural season and was just getting started with the club. He spent eight of his 11 major league seasons with Kansas City.
His Royals tenure came to an end when Fitzmorris was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the expansion draft in 1976 and immediately traded to Cleveland. He also spent his final year in baseball with the California Angels.
Fitzmorris, originally in the Chicago White Sox organization, had come to the Royals in their 1968 expansion draft.
He worked as a starter and reliever throughout his career and was part of the Royals rotation from 1974-76. Fitzmorris finished with a 77-59 record and 3.65 ERA. For the Royals, he was 70-48 with a 3.46 ERA.
His .593 career winning percentage is the best in Royals history for pitchers with at least 500 innings. Jason Vargas, at .596, is a few points higher, but pitched 421 innings for Kansas City.
Fitzmorris shows up in the top 10 in several other career and season categories. He’s fifth in career ERA and sixth in shutouts with 11.
And how about this odd stat: He’s the first player in team history to get a base hit from both sides of the plate. It happened July 19, 1970, in the second game of a double header against the Detroit Tigers. He had a double in the third inning, batting right-handed, and a single in the fifth batting left-handed.
Fitzmorris spent his post-playing years in Kansas City and was part of Royals pregame and postgame radio broadcasts. He also was an analyst on Metro Sports. His final year on the airwaves was 2007.
“I’d much rather be out doing things and interacting with people,” Fitzmorris told The Star.
He did many things. Fitzmorris was a popular guest at Fan Fests, charity events involving former teammates and Royals caravans. He also was a singer in a rock band, “39,” named for his uniform number with the Royals.