Jim Rooker pitched for Kansas City from 1969-1972 after being selected by the Royals in the 3rd round of the expansion draft from the New York Yankees. Rooker, a lefty, won 103 games at the major league level, pitched in the World Series and later, enjoyed a broadcasting career that saw him raise over $80,000 for charity after he once made a bold promise on the air and “lost” the guarantee. In a MUST LISTEN TO INTERVIEW for ALL Royals fans, nearly 90 minutes in length, Rooker recently joined Dave O by phone to discuss being a part of the expansion Royals, how he became such a great hitting pitcher, his memories of many deceased former teammates, pitching in the World Series, writing children’s books and lots more! (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Great interview. I remember being a big fan of Jim Rooker even after he left the Royals and went on to such great success with the Pirates. He’d had an awful tough go of it early in his career in KC, but I thought he had bigtime talent. As a kid, the first time I ever heard a “Bronx cheer” was when I was at a Royals game at Municipal Stadium, and Jim was having a rough afternoon. I believe he had walked the bases loaded on 12 pitches at one point, and then had thrown a strike. I remember looking at my pop and asking why everyone was cheering.