Stephen Charles Balboni (/bælˈboʊni/; born January 16, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball player, who played for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers.

[1] Since Balboni was the last player to hit 36 home runs and win a World Series, (1985 Royals), the curse bore his name.

The curse ran from 1985 until Luis Gonzalez and the Arizona Diamondbacks won the 2001 World Series.

The Yankees noted that Balboni's tremendous power helped them make the decision to draft him.

He was named designated hitter on The Sporting News college All-America team in 1978.

He won the Most Valuable Player award in 1979 with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees of the Florida State League and the Southern League MVP Award in 1980 for the Double-A Nashville Sounds.

He was the starting first baseman for the Kansas City Royals from 1984 to mid-1988, when the Seattle Mariners signed him as a free agent.

In parts of 11 Major League seasons in which he played in 960 games, Balboni hit 181 home runs and had 495 RBI.

Steve batted .320 with 3 RBIs to help the Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals, four games to three.