George Brett Bridge - Kansas City, MO
N 39° 03.087 W 094° 28.465
15S E 372416 N 4323520
Named for the greatest Kansas City Royal of them all, the George Brett Bridge carries vehicular traffic on the Blue Ridge Cutoff across I-70 in eastern Kansas City, MO.
Waymark Code: WMRXY1
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 08/19/2016
Views: 1
The Person
George Brett is a Hall of Fame baseball player who spent his entire twenty-one year career with the Kansas City Royals, playing mostly third base and later, designated hitter. Brett was a fearsome slugger, once making a serious pursuit of a .400 batting average, which has not been accomplished since 1941. His 3,154 career hits are an all-time record for third basemen, and he also hit over 300 home runs and had a lifetime batting average over .300, a rarity in baseball. Brett led the American League in batting three times and in three decades, and he was also good in the field, winning a Gold Glove in 1985. Brett was part of the 1985 World Championship team, and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
While Brett is best-known by baseball fans for his accomplishments, what is called "The Pine Tar Incident" might be best-known by those who don't follow the game. In a July 24, 1983 game against the New York Yankees, Brett hit a home run in the ninth inning to give them the lead. Yankee manager, Billy Martin, challenged the home run, saying that the pine tar used on Brett's bat -- to give him better grip -- extended farther up the bat than what was legally allowed. The home run was nullified, Brett was called out, and he went berserk as the Yankees won the game. The Royals protested the game, and the American League backed them. At a later date, the game was resumed from the point of Brett's reinstated home run, and the Royals held on to win the game.
The Place
This is actually the second incarnation of the George Brett Bridge. The original was opened in 1997, but due to traffic issues, it was demolished in 2011 and replaced that same year. The new bridge better accommodates traffic to Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium, just southwest of here, as well as providing better pedestrian access to the area from the hotels on the north side of I-70.