Kansas City Blues (American Association)
| Kansas City Blues | |
|---|---|
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Previous classes |
|
| League | American Association (20th Century) (1902–1954) |
Previous leagues |
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| Major league affiliations | |
| Previous teams |
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| Minor league titles | |
| Class titles | 1 (1929) |
| League titles | 8 (1888, 1890, 1898, 1901, 1929, 1938, 1952, 1953) |
| Team data | |
Previous names | Kansas City Blues |
Previous parks | Muehlebach Field/Ruppert Stadium/Blues Stadium (1923-54) |
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.[1]
The Blues did not field particularly competitive teams until 1918, when they won the AA pennant. The team won again in 1923, and again in 1929. They won the Junior World Series championship both years, defeating the Baltimore Orioles (minor league) and the Rochester Red Wings of the International League (respectively) in best-of-nine series.[1]
In 1935, the Blues became a farm club of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1936 they became an affiliate of the New York Yankees. They won the AA championships five times in the 1930s and 1940s. They defeated the Newark Bears (International League), another Yankees farm club, in the 1938 Junior World Series
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.[1][2]
Players and managers
Well-known members of the 1929 Junior World Series-winning Kansas City Blues included:[1]
- Dutch Zwilling, manager
- Clyde "Pea Ridge" Day, pitcher
- Joe Kuhel, 23-year-old first baseman who later played for the Washington Senators
- Lynn (Line Drive) Nelson, pitcher
- Fred Nicholson, outfielder
- Bill Wambsganss, 35-year-old shortstop who was best known for making an unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series
Other well-known players and managers include:
- Harry Craft, manager in the 1950s
- George Leslie Cochran, switch-hitting infielder
- Dick Kryhoski, first baseman in the late 1940s
- Mickey Mantle, outfielder and three-time AL MVP[3]
- Phil Rizzuto, Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year in 1940
- Homer "Doc" Smoot, outfielder in 1910-11
See also
References
- ^ a b c d 1929 Kansas City Blues from the Minor League Baseball website
- ^ 1939 Kansas City Blues from the Minor League Baseball website
- ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/team.cgi?id=21736