The Kansas City Royals have announced that right-handed pitcher Kevin Appier has been voted into the Royals Hall of Fame. He will become the elite group’s 24th inductee during on-field ceremonies prior to the Chicago Cubs versus Royals game at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday, June 25.

Appier was elected in his first ballot appearance in a vote of living Royals Hall of Fame Members, select media members, select Royals Front Office staff and Royals fans via on-line voting. To be eligible players must have spent a minimum of three seasons with the club and ceased to be an active on-field member of the Royals (or for any other Major League Organization) for at least three (3) calendar years. Candidates must be named on at least seventy-five percent (75%) of all ballots cast to be elected – Appier received 82.5% support.

Selected in the First Round (9th Overall) of the 1987 June Free Agent Draft by the Royals out of Antelope Valley College (Lancaster, Calif.), Appier made his Major League debut on June 4, 1989 against the California Angels in Anaheim. He collected his first win on June 13, 1989 against the Oakland Athletics at Royals Stadium.

The three-time Royals Pitcher of the Year (1992, 1993 & 1995) was one of the American League’s most dominant starters during the 1990s. He was third in the 1990 Rookie of the Year vote and third in the 1993 Cy Young Award vote when he led the league with a 2.56 earned run average. He was also named to the 1995 All-Star team.

In addition to being the Royals’ all-time strikeouts leader with 1,458, Appier ranks among the club’s Top 10 in several career categories, including fourth in wins (115), games started (275) and innings pitched (1843.2); and seventh in ERA (3.49) and shutouts (10). He also ranks ninth in appearances (287) and tenth with 32 complete games. Appier threw a pair of one-hit games with the Royals – one of only two Royals to accomplish the feat more than once joining fellow Royals Hall of Famer Member Paul Splittorff (3).

Appier pitched for sixteen major league seasons – thirteen with the Royals (1989-99 & 2003-04). He also pitched for the Oakland A’s (1999-2000), New York Mets (2001) and Anaheim Angels (2002-03).