Kansas City Giants facts for kids

The Kansas City Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from 1909 to 1911. They were based in Kansas City, Kansas. The Giants played their home games at Riverside Park. They were known for being a rival of the Kansas City Royal Giants, another team from nearby Kansas City, Missouri.

History of the Kansas City Giants

Starting Out in Baseball

Baseball for African American teams, known as the Negro leagues, began in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1909. Back then, teams were not always part of traditional leagues. Instead, many teams would "barnstorm." This meant they traveled a lot, playing games against many different teams. They might play against other professional teams, semi-pro teams, or local clubs. Because of this, it can be hard to find exact records for all their games.

The 1909 Kansas City Giants were part of a group called the Western Independent Clubs. The team was owned by Tobe Smith and Felix Payne. It grew out of a semi-pro barnstorming team that had started playing in 1907. When the Giants became a fully professional team, owner Tobe Smith signed many local players. These players had previously played for teams like Jenkins and Sons or the Kansas City Monarchs semi-pro teams.

First Season and Big Games

In their first "league" season, the 1909 Kansas City Giants had a record of 12 wins and 12 losses within the Western Independent Clubs. This placed them 5th among those teams. The team's manager was "Topeka Jack" Johnson. If you count all the games they played in 1909, the Giants had a much better overall record of 128 wins and 19 losses.

On August 25, 1909, a famous team called the Leland Giants, led by Rube Foster, came to Riverside Park. They played a three-game series against the Kansas City Giants. The local newspaper called this series the "Colored Championship of the United States." The winning team would get $1,000. Leland won the first game 5-0. But Kansas City fought back, winning the second game 3-1. In that game, their pitcher Bill Lindsay struck out 16 batters! In front of 5,000 fans on August 27, 1909, Kansas City won the third game 3-2.

New Rivals and More Games

The Giants' player-manager, "Topeka Jack" Johnson, was also a former professional boxer. He was even a sparring partner for the famous heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson. In the winter of 1909, "Topeka Jack" Johnson helped create a new Negro leagues team. This team was the Kansas City Royal Giants, based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royal Giants started playing in 1910 and quickly became a big rival for the Kansas City Giants.

The Kansas City Giants continued to play in 1910. Their record within the Western Independent Clubs was 6 wins and 7 losses, placing them 5th. The new manager for the Giants was Jim Norman. The Giants had a good record against their new rival, the Kansas City Royal Giants, winning 9 out of 14 games.

In November 1910, the Giants played two Sunday games against the "Johnny Kling All-Stars." Johnny Kling was a famous baseball player from Kansas City. Other well-known players like Zach Wheat and Casey Stengel played for Kling's team. The first game ended in a 1-1 tie. In that game, pitcher Bob Harmon struck out an amazing 25 Giants players! The teams played again the next week, and the All-Stars won 6-1, with Harmon striking out 14 more Giants.

In 1910, the Kansas City Giants had to release three of their players. These players tried to play for the rival Kansas City Royal Giants in a morning game. Then, they tried to travel across the city to play for the Giants in the afternoon. They arrived late for the Giants' game and were let go from the team.

Final Season and Legacy

In their last season of play, 1911, "Topeka Jack" Johnson returned to manage the Kansas City Giants. The Giants had a great year, finishing 2nd with an 18-7 record among Western Independent Clubs. They didn't lose a game until April 26, 1911! They even defeated a team from Keio University from Japan in late May. With a winning streak of over 30 games, the Giants had a fantastic 46-9 record against other African American baseball teams in 1911.

Starting on August 27, 1911, the Kansas City Giants played a four-game series against the St. Paul Colored Gophers. Kansas City won the first three games at Riverside Park. They won by scores of 8-2, 13-10, and 12-0. The fourth game was played in Kansas City, Missouri, where the Giants won 11-0, sweeping the series. After that, the Giants won four out of five games against the Leland Giants at Riverside Park.

In early October 1911, the Giants played a three-game series against the Kansas City Blues. The Blues were a team from a different league called the American Association. Each team won one game, and the final game ended in a tie because it got too dark to play.

After the 1911 season, a Kansas City Giants player named Dee Williams sadly passed away. In the years that followed, the Kansas City Giants continued to play, but they were mostly a semi-pro barnstorming team with fewer players. The Kansas City Giants were an important part of the early Negro leagues history in Kansas City, alongside their rivals, the Kansas City Royal Giants.

In 2016, the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) placed a new grave marker for "Topeka Jack" Johnson at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Topeka, Kansas.

The Ballpark

The Kansas City Giants played their home games at Riverside Park. This ballpark was located in Kansas City, Kansas. The team often had large crowds, averaging 1,700 fans for Sunday home games. Sometimes, as many as 5,000 people would come to watch. The ballpark had an enclosed grandstand for fans. Riverside Park was located at 2nd Avenue and Franklin Avenue, close to the Missouri River in Kansas City, Kansas.

(1999) Aerial view of Kansas City, Kansas

Timeline

Year–by–Year Record

Notable Alumni

See also

• Kansas City Giants players
• Sports in Kansas City
• Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
• List of minor Negro league baseball teams