What was once a great American League inter-divisional rivalry between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees in the 1970s and into the 1980s, was all but gone by the early 1990s. Why, because both clubs were barely winners, let alone contenders anymore and no longer had those great players that hated the other team and played their best against the other team. The only player that was still with the Royals in 1990, that played in their glory years of the 1970s and 80s, was George Brett who was in late thirties at this point and wrapping up a brilliant career for the Royals. The Yankees were down to Don Mattingly, who wasn’t a member of even the 1981 Yankees World Series team, or the 1980 AL East champion Yankees. So both of these great franchises were in transition. And having to rebuild to get back to where they were when they two of the best clubs in the American League.