KC's Baseball Story

KC's Baseball Story. . , To many fans outside of K.C., it might seem as if the birth of baseball here began when Ewing Kauffman founded the Kansas City Royals in 1969, and gave the town the beautiful, now-named Kauffman Stadium in 1973. And it might seem as if our most glorious moments were when George Brett led the Royals to several Division titles and a World Series championship in 1985. (Not to mention that Brett is the only player in the history of baseball to win three batting titles in three different decades: 1976, 1980 and 1990.), But the reality is, Kansas City’s illustrious baseball history dates all the way back to the late 19th century. In those early years, we cheered for teams like the Kansas City Cowboys, the Unions, the Packers, and the Blues – a minor league franchise for the New York Yankees. There was even a team called the Kansas City Red Sox, which featured local boy and baseball legend, Casey Stengal., But perhaps the most famous team to emerge in Kansas City, other than the Royals, was the Kansas City Monarchs, the very first team of the Negro Baseball League. The Monarchs produced such baseball legends as Satchel Paige, Buck O’Neill, Josh Gibson and Jackie Robinson, who later became the first African-American to play on a modern-era white professional team., Today, the legacy of the Negro Leagues lives on at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum – the only one of its kind – located in Kansas City’s historic 18th and Vine District. It’s a “must-see” for avid baseball fans and history enthusiasts alike. Also playing for Kansas City teams over the years were baseball greats such as Frank White, Amos Otis, Dan Quisenberry, Dennis Leonard, Hal McRae and Paul Splittorff.