The Royals took time before Monday’s home opener against the Twins to deliver a poignant tribute to late MLB speedster Terrance Gore, who died in February at 34 years old.
A sold-out, announced attendance of 39,320 strong at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium united in a moment of silence for the fallen former Royals outfielder and pinch-runner, who helped the club capture a World Series title in 2015.
He spent parts of his time in MLB with the Cubs, Dodgers and Braves before rounding out his career with the Mets in 2022. He was part of the Dodgers’ World Series-winning team in 2020.
He was also honored Saturday in Atlanta, where the Braves held a moment of silence with the Gore family in attendance.
“It’s such a tragic thing to lose a guy at 34 years old,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said Monday morning, holding back tears. “It’s the least we could do for his family. It’ll be fun to see his kids out there. His son’s a baseball player. He was very involved with his youth team. So we had Zane out on the field [in Atlanta] running around. Our players do what they do — they’re special guys. They made that day.
“And hopefully it’s the same thing today, and our fans appreciate celebrating Terrance’s life.”
Following the moment of silence, the Royals welcomed Terrance’s wife Britney, along with their three children, out onto the field.
The Gore family was greeted by Picollo, who handed a flower bouquet to Britney before taking the youngest Gore, Skylyn, into his arms.
Picollo, Britney, Skylyn, and Camden, the second Gore son, all turned their focus to the mound as Zane, their oldest, delivered a perfect first pitch to Royals Hall of Famer — and Gore’s former teammate — Alex Gordon.
Gore passed away in February due to complications following “what was supposed to have been a simple procedure” to remove his appendix, his wife announced at the time on social media.
The two-time World Series champion spent five of his eight major league seasons in Kansas City, utilized primarily as a pinch-running specialist.
He stole 43 bases in his regular-season career, while only being caught nine times. He also swiped five bags in six tries during the postseason.
The Royals went on to beat the Twins, 3-1, on Monday.