Kansas City Blues (American Association)
Encyclopedia
The Kansas City Blues are a former minor league baseball
team located in Kansas City, Missouri
, in the Midwestern United States
. The team was one of the eight founding members of the American Association
.
The Blues did not field particularly competitive teams unil 1918, when they won the AA pennant. The team won again in 1923, and again in 1929. They won the Junior World Series
championship that year, defeating the Rochester Red Wings
of the International League
in a best-of-nine series.
In 1936, the Blues became a farm club of the New York Yankees
. They won the AA championships five times in the 1930s and 1940s.
When the American League
Philadelphia Athletics
moved to Kansas City in 1955, the Blues moved to Denver, Colorado
.
The official website of Minor League Baseball
calls the Blues teams of 1929 and 1939 two of the 100 greatest Minor League Baseball teams ever.
Other well-known players and managers include:
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team located in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. The team was one of the eight founding members of the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
.
The Blues did not field particularly competitive teams unil 1918, when they won the AA pennant. The team won again in 1923, and again in 1929. They won the Junior World Series
Junior World Series
The Junior World Series was the name given to a postseason series between champions of two of the three high-minor baseball leagues, modeled on the World Series of Major League Baseball...
championship that year, defeating the Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
of the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
in a best-of-nine series.
In 1936, the Blues became a farm club of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. They won the AA championships five times in the 1930s and 1940s.
When the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
moved to Kansas City in 1955, the Blues moved to Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
The official website of Minor League Baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
calls the Blues teams of 1929 and 1939 two of the 100 greatest Minor League Baseball teams ever.
Players and managers
Well-known members of the 1929 Junior World Series-winning Kansas City Blues included:- Dutch ZwillingDutch ZwillingEdward Harrison "Dutch" Zwilling , was a professional baseball player who played outfield in the major leagues from -...
, manager - Clyde "Pea Ridge" DayPea Ridge DayHenry Clyde Day was a champion Arkansas hog-caller and right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who committed suicide after an operation to repair his throwing arm proved unsuccessful.-The "Hog-Calling Pitcher":...
, pitcher - Joe KuhelJoe KuhelJoseph Anthony Kuhel was a first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. From 1930 through 1946, Kuhel played for the Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox . He batted and threw left-handed. Following his playing career, Kuhel managed the Washington Senators...
, 23-year-old first baseman who later played for the Washington Senators - Lynn (Line Drive) Nelson, pitcher
- Fred NicholsonFred NicholsonFred Nicholson , was a Major League Baseball player who played outfielder from -. He would play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves, and Detroit Tigers.-External links:...
, outfielder - Bill WambsganssBill WambsganssWilliam Adolf Wambsganss was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1914 through 1926, Wambsganss played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Athletics...
, 35-year-old shortstop who was best known for making an unassisted triple playUnassisted triple playIn baseball, an unassisted triple play occurs when a defensive player makes all three putouts by himself in one continuous play, without any teammates touching the ball . In Major League Baseball , it is one of the rarest of individual feats, along with hitting four home runs in one game and the...
in the 1920 World Series1920 World Series-Game 1:Tuesday, October 5, 1920 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York-Game 2:Wednesday, October 6, 1920 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York-Game 3:Thursday, October 7, 1920 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York-Game 4:...
Other well-known players and managers include:
- Harry CraftHarry CraftHarry Francis Craft was an American Major League Baseball player and manager. Born in Ellisville, Mississippi, he was an center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds from 1937–1942...
, manager in the 1950s - George Leslie CochranGeorge Leslie CochranGeorge Leslie Cochran was a third baseman and shortstop in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Boston Red Sox in the 1918 season. Cochran was a switch-hitter and threw right handed...
, switch-hitting infielder - Dick KryhoskiDick KryhoskiRichard David Kryhoski was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between 1949 and 1955. Listed at 6' 2", 200 lb., Kryhoski batted and threw left-handed. He was born and raised in Leonia, New Jersey.Kryhoski attended at Upsala College in East Orange, New...
, first baseman in the late 1940s - Mickey MantleMickey MantleMickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
, outfielder and three-time AL MVP - Phil RizzutoPhil RizzutoPhilip Francis Rizzuto , nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year in 1940 - Homer "Doc" SmootHomer SmootHomer Vernon Smoot , nicknamed "Doc," was an American professional baseball. He played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball, for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds, from 1902 until 1906, primarily as a center fielder. He threw right-handed but batted left-handed.Born in...
, outfielder in 1910-11