The Kansas City Cowboys were a professional baseball team based in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

, for two seasons in to in the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

. They were the third, and last iteration of this franchise name, following the

Kansas City Cowboys Several sports team in Kansas City, Missouri have used the name Cowboys: *Kansas City Cowboys (Union Association), a baseball team in the Union Association in 1884 *Kansas City Cowboys (National League), a baseball team in the National League in 18 ...

of the

Union Association The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season. Seven of the twelve teams who were in the Association at some poi ...

in and the

of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

in . The franchise used

Association Park Association Park is the name of two different baseball grounds which were located in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Association Park (I) This ballpark was home to the Kansas City Cowboys of the National League for the 1886 season. It was initiall ...

as their home field in 1888, then moved to Exposition Park for the last game that season, and all of 1889. The team began the 1888 season on April 18 with part-time

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

Dave Rowe as their

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the s ...

. They lost their first game, 10–3, to

Tony Mullane Anthony John Mullane (January 30, 1859 – April 25, 1944), nicknamed "Count" and "The Apollo of the Box", was an Irish Major League Baseball player who pitched for seven teams during his 13-season career. He is best known as an ambidextrous p ...

and the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, but won the next day. They compiled a

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

of 43–89 in their initial season, finishing last out of the league's eight teams, and went through two managerial changes. The season had a few bright moments: on June 6, Henry Porter threw a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

, and on June 13,

Sam Barkley Samuel E. Barkley (May 24, 1858 – April 20, 1912) was an American Major League Baseball second baseman. Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, he played for four teams in six seasons from to . Career Barkley began his career with the Toledo Bl ...

hit for the cycle. The franchise's only future

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

player, "Slidin'" Billy Hamilton, began his career as a part-time outfielder in 1888, and was their starting

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In ...

in 1889. Bill Watkins, who had finished the 1888 season as the team's manager, stayed in that role for the full 1889 season, and guided them to an improved win–loss record of 55–82, with two ties, finishing seventh among the league's eight teams.

References

External links

1888-9 Cowboys
at Baseball Reference {{American Association (1882–1891) American Association (1882–1891) baseball teams Kansas City Cowboys 1888 establishments in Missouri 1889 disestablishments in Missouri Baseball teams established in 1888 Baseball teams disestablished in 1889 Defunct baseball teams in Missouri

See also

References

External links