Darryl Motley

Darryl De Wayne Motley

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 196 lb.
• High School Grant High School (Portland)
• Debut August 10, 1981
• Final Game May 17, 1987
• Born January 21, 1960 in Muskogee, OK USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Darryl Motley was an outfielder who played six seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Kansas City Royals. He was a regular outfielder in 1984 and 1985, and hit .364 in the 1985 World Series, which KC won.

A second round pick by the Royals in 1978, he impressed by hitting .488 in his 10 games in the rookie league before they moved him up. In 1980, he hit over .300 in both Single A and Double A ball, and when he hit .288 with 18 home runs in Triple A in 1981, he got his chance at the majors at age 21, making his debut shortly after the settlement of the 1981 strike. He played regularly in right field for the Royals the rest of the season, hitting .232 in 42 games, but he did not appear in the Division Series, when the Royals were swept in three games by the Oakland Athletics. He was back in Triple A for 1982 and most of 1983, hitting .254 with 8 home runs and then .281 with 16 home runs. In 1983, he hit .235 in 19 games for the Royals.

In Game 7 of the 1985 World Series, he went 3 for 4 with a home run in an 11-0 Kansas City win over the St. Louis Cardinals. His home run came in the 2nd inning off John Tudor and accounted for K.C.'s first two runs. It came right after he had hit another ball far into left field - but just foul.

He struggled in 1986, hitting .203 in 72 games, and spent a month back in Triple A ball. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves near the end of the season. In 1987, he was with the Richmond Braves for most of the year, hitting .254 with 13 home runs, and briefly coming up with Atlanta. In what were his final major league at-bats, he went 0 for 8 in 6 games.

After his days in USA baseball, he spent 5 years in Mexico and Japan, and then played for several years as a star in independent baseball in the Northern League. One year he was named Baseball America Independent Baseball Player of the Year. See Motley's Crew Rocks Fargo. In Japan, he played for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 1992 and 1993, but only for a total of 44 games.

Motley began 2001 as manager of the Adirondack Lumberjacks. After an 8-13 start he was activated to try and help the offense. Two weeks later, with the team at 11-26, Ken Joyce was hired as manager and Motley moved to hitting coach and designated hitter.

Notable Achievement

• Won a World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 1985