Whitey Herzog replaced McKeon in 1975, and the Royals quickly became the dominant franchise in the American League's Western Division. After a second-place, 91 win season, they won three straight division championships from 1976 to 1978, including the franchise's only 100-win season in 1977. However, the Royals lost to the New York Yankees in three straight American League Championship Series encounters.

Steve Busby pitched the first no-hitter in Kansas City Royals history, defeating the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium 3-0 on April 27, 1973. Busby became the first no-hit pitcher who did not come to bat during the entire game, with the American League having adopted the designated hitter rule that year.

After missing most of 2018 with a toe fracture, Jorge Soler returned in 2019 to lead the American League with 48 home runs.

In 2000, both Mike Sweeney (206) and Johnny Damon (214) finished the season in the 200-hits club. Unfortunately, it only translated to a 77-85 season, with the Royals finishing 4th in the American League Central.

Amos Otis, who batted .277 during his 17-year major-league career, admitted in 1992 that he used a corked bat about half the time. "It helped me a great deal," Otis said in a story published in the Mobile Press. "The Mobile Sports Hall of Fame will be my third," Otis told the newspaper in a telephone interview from his home in San Diego. "I'm in the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame, and I'm also in the hall of shame. That's when you cheat in the big leagues."

Sluggerrr, the lion whose mane looks like a crown, made his debut as the official mascot of the Kansas City Royals on April 5, 1996. In 2009, a spectator was injured by a hot dog thrown into the stands by Sluggerrr as part of a between-innings promotion. The spectator sued the Royals organization, claiming that they had been negligent. A jury found for the team under the Baseball Rule, which limits spectators' ability to sue teams for injuries arising from gameplay, but the Missouri Supreme Court reversed that decision, holding that a mascot's hot dog toss is not an essential part of baseball. On retrial, a new jury found that neither the team nor the fan were at fault, and awarded no damages.

In 2000, Mike Sweeney finished second in the league with a club record 144 RBI, behind only Seattle's Edgar Martinez's 145 RBI, and breaking Hal McRae's 1982 team mark of 133.

In 2019, Jorge Soler batted .265, setting new club records in both home runs (48) and strikeouts (178).

The Royals set the franchise's all-time record for losses in 2005 with a 56-106 record, a full 43 games out of first place.

In 1985, the 21-year-old Saberhagen went 20-6 with a 2.87 ERA and won the American League Cy Young Award. He also led the Royals to a World Series championship and was named MVP of the World Series, pitching two complete games, including a shutout in Game 7.