KANSAS CITY – Excitement pulsed through Kauffman Stadium on Monday for the Royals’ home opener as the team and fans prepared to celebrate baseball returning to Kansas City and seeing what this 2026 team can do.
But they also made sure to take a step back and honor the life of a former Royal, as the club held a moment of silence for late Royals outfielder and World Series champion Terrance Gore before Monday’s game against the Twins and had a special tribute put together for his family. Gore passed away in February at just 34 years old.
On Saturday in Atlanta, the Braves also held a moment of silence pregame with the Gore family in attendance.
“It’s such a tragic thing to lose a guy at 34 years old,” general manager J.J. Picollo said Monday morning before taking a moment to collect his thoughts as he held 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 special.
“And hopefully it’s the same thing today, and our fans appreciate celebrating Terrance’s life.”
The fans delivered in that regard when the Gore family was honored during the pregame ceremony. First, the Royals held a moment of silence for Gore, much like the Braves did on Saturday in Atlanta. But shortly after, the Royals welcomed Terrance’s wife, Britney, and three children onto the field. Picollo was there with flowers for Britney and took the youngest Gore, Skylyn, in his arms.
Picollo, Britney, Skylyn and Camden – the second Gore son – turned to watch Zane, the eldest, throw a perfect first pitch to Royals Hall of Famer Alex Gordon.
Much like the fans did whenever Terrance was stealing and dashing around the bases for the Royals, they erupted in an ovation when the ball hit Gordon’s glove behind home plate.