Editing George Brett (section)

====1975–1979====
Brett topped the .300 mark for the first time in [[1975 Kansas City Royals season|1975]], hitting .308 with 11 home runs and 90 RBI in 159 games. He finished the season leading the league in hits (195) and triples (13).<ref name=":0"/><ref name="gftrf">{{cite magazine |last=Fimrite |first=Ron |date=June 21, 1976 |title=George fills the Royals' flush |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1976/06/21/615352/george-fills-the-royals-flush <!--http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/articlebbbbbb/magazine/MAG1091229/index.htm--> |url-status=live |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |page=22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102184938/https://vault.si.com/vault/1976/06/21/george-fills-the-royals-flush |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=December 10, 2017}}</ref> He then won his first batting title in [[1976 Kansas City Royals season|1976]] with a .333 average, seven home runs and 67 RBI in 159 games.<ref name=":0"/> The four contenders for the batting title that year were Brett and Royals teammate [[Hal McRae]], and [[Minnesota Twins]] teammates [[Rod Carew]] and [[Lyman Bostock]]. In dramatic fashion, Brett went 2-for-4 in the final game of the season against the Twins, beating out his three rivals, all playing in the same game. His lead over second-place McRae was less than .001. Brett won the title when a fly ball dropped in front of Twins left fielder [[Steve Brye]], bounced on the [[Royals Stadium]] [[AstroTurf]] and over Brye's head to the wall; Brett circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run. McRae, batting just behind Brett in the line up, grounded out and Brett won his first batting title.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thoma |first=Edward |date=October 3, 2022 |title=THOMA COLUMN {{!}} Spirit of '76: The rest of a batting title controversy |url=https://www.mankatofreepress.com/sports/local_sports/thoma-column-spirit-of-76-the-rest-of-a-batting-title-controversy/article_a0076972-4241-11ed-9e26-5f2ef8932ee5.html |access-date=March 29, 2023 |website=[[The Free Press (Mankato)|Mankato Free Press]] |language=en}}</ref>

From May 8 through May 13, 1976, Brett had three or more hits in six consecutive games, a major league record. A month later, he was on the cover of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' for a feature article,<ref name=gftrf/> and made his first of 13 All-Star teams. The Royals won the first of three straight [[American League West]] Division titles, beginning a great rivalry with the [[New York Yankees]]—whom they faced in the [[American League Championship Series]] each of those three years. In the fifth and final game of the [[1976 American League Championship Series|1976 ALCS]], Brett hit a three-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to tie the score at six—only to see the Yankees' [[Chris Chambliss]] launch a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth to give the Yankees a 7–6 win.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA197610140.shtml|title=1976 American League Championship Series, Game Five|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|date=October 14, 1976|access-date=March 27, 2018|archive-date=January 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102184937/https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA197610140.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Brett finished second in [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|American League MVP]] voting to [[Thurman Munson]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1976 Awards Voting |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1976.shtml |access-date=March 29, 2023 |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:George Brett - Kansas City Royals.jpg|thumb|Brett with Kansas City, {{c.|1977}}]]
A year later, Brett emerged as a power hitter, batting .312 while clubbing 22 home runs and recording 88 RBI in 139 games, as the Royals headed to another [[1977 American League Championship Series|ALCS]].<ref name=":0"/> In Game 5 of the 1977 ALCS, following an RBI triple, Brett slid into third and was called safe then was kicked in the head by [[Graig Nettles]], after which Brett stood and threw a punch at Nettles, igniting a bench-clearing brawl.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dodd |first=Rustin |date=October 18, 2017 |title=40 years ago, George Brett punched Graig Nettles in the ALCS. Then the game continued |url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article179483061.html |access-date=March 29, 2023 |website=[[The Kansas City Star]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vbdvlX1j77w&feature=youtu.be|title=1977 ALCS, Game 5: Yankees, Royals fracas in Game 5 of the ALCS|website=YouTube |date=July 9, 2013 }}</ref>

In {{baseball year|1978}}, Brett batted .294 (the only time between 1976 and {{baseball year|1983}} in which he did not bat at least .300) with nine home runs and 62 RBI in 128 games, helping the Royals win a third consecutive AL West title.<ref name=":0"/> However, Kansas City once again lost to the Yankees in the [[1978 American League Championship Series|ALCS]], but not before Brett hit three home runs off [[Catfish Hunter]] in Game 3,<ref>{{cite web |date=October 6, 1978 |title=1978 American League Championship Series, Game Three |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA197810060.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102185050/https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA197810060.shtml |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=March 27, 2018 |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref> becoming the second player to hit three home runs in an LCS game ([[Bob Robertson]] was the first, having done so in Game 2 of the [[1971 National League Championship Series|1971 NLCS]]).<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 3, 1971 |title=1971 National League Championship Series (NLCS) Game 2, Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Francisco Giants: October 3, 1971 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN197110030.shtml |access-date=March 29, 2023 |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |language=en}}</ref>

Brett followed with a successful [[1979 Kansas City Royals season|1979 season]], in which he finished third in AL MVP voting.<ref name=":0"/> He became the sixth player in league history to have at least 20 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], [[triple (baseball)|triples]] and homers all in one season (42–20–23) and led the league in hits (212) and triples (20) while batting .329, with an [[on-base percentage]] of .376 and a [[slugging percentage]] of .563.<ref name=":0"/>