Kansas City Blues (American Association)

Defunct MiLB infobox
name = Kansas City Blues
firstseason = 1888
lastseason = 1954
allyears = by|1888, by|1890 – by|1891, by|1893 – by|1901, by|1902 – by|1954
city = Kansas City, Missouri

cap

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lastclasslevel = Triple-A (1946-1954)
pastclasslevel = Double-A (1908-1945)
*A (1902-1907)
lastleague = American Association (20th Century) (1902-1954)
conference =
division =
pastleague = *Western League (1901)
*American League (1900)
*Western League (1894-1899)
*Western Association (1888), (1890-1891), (1893)
lastmajorleague = New York Yankees (1936-1954)
pastmajorleague =
lastnickname = Kansas City Blues
pastnames =
lastballpark = Blues Stadium (1943-54)
pastparks = Muehlebach Field (1923), Ruppert Stadium (1938)
classchamps = 1929
leaguechamps = 1888, 1890, 1898, 1901, 1929, 1938, 1952, 1953
conferencechamps=
divisionchamps = 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. [http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/history/top100.jsp?idx=28 1929 Kansas City Blues] from the Minor League Baseball website]

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. [http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/history/top100.jsp?idx=12 1939 Kansas City Blues] from the Minor League Baseball website]

Players and managers

Well-known members of the 1929 World Series-winning Kansas City Blues included:
*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
* Phil Rizzuto, "Sporting News" Minor League Player of the Year in 1940
* Homer "Doc" Smoot, outfielder in 1910-11

References

ee also

*List of past and present Kansas City sports teams