Kansas City Monarchs sweep American Association finals for club’s third championship

When the local independent-league baseball franchise formerly known as the Kansas City T-Bones changed ownership and re-branded as Kansas City Monarchs last winter, the club’s marketing slogan — Fun Well Done — was freshened up, too:

Reign Reborn.

And now, as their historic Negro Leagues namesakes so often did a century ago, these new Monarchs indeed reign supreme.

Their 8-1 victory over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks Monday night at Legends Field earned the Monarchs the American Association championship for 2021. KC swept the best-of-five finals in three games after winning Games 1 and 2 on the road, 8-5 and 7-4.

The Monarchs’ run to championship No. 3 included numerous highlights:

• a franchise-record 69 regular-season wins (they were 69-31 entering the playoffs)
• a perfect 6-0 postseason
• a dominant stretch of 32 victories in their final 34 home games
• and an announced crowd of 3,354 who attended Monday’s game — the most to see a playoff contest at Legends Field, the venue near Children’s Mercy Park that was formerly known as T-Bones Stadium and CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
  
  

It’s easy to forget now, but this season got off to a rough start for the Monarchs. They were 7-10 through their first 17 games. But then they went 68-21 the rest of the way, winning 32 of their final 34 at home.

The championship was extra-sweet for American Association Manager of the Year Joe Calfapietra for another reason: The Monarchs sat out the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“(Last season) was a tough year for all of us, not being able to come to the ballpark after so many years,” a jubilant Calfapietra said. “We had an opportunity to come out here this year, we started to put things together, and now we’ve got a chance to celebrate.”

After two scoreless innings Monday night, the KC club that scored a league-record 664 runs this season got to Fargo-Moorhead starter Matt Tomshaw.

Former Royals outfielder Paulo Orlando singled to lead off the third and adv anced to third on a ground-rule double by Alexis Olmeda. A walk following a groundout loaded the bases with one away, and Gaby Guerrero sliced a full-count pitch into the right-field corner for a bases-clearing double.

The score at that point: Monarchs 3, RedHawks 0.

“I was just trying to put it in play, and thankfully it was fair,” said Guerrero, a former major-leaguer who went 6-for-14 with six RBIs in the final series and was named its MVP.

Monarchs starter Keyvius Sampson retired the first 11 batters he faced Monday evening before a two-out error by first baseman Casey Gillaspie extended the fourth inning.

But Kansas City stretched its lead in the fifth. A pair of singles put runners at first and second with one away for Guerrero, who rolled an RBI single up the middle. Later in the inning, Sweeney raced home on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.

The Monarchs blew the game open in the sixth when Morgan McCullough lined a two-run double into the gap in left-center. Darnell Sweeney’s RBI single in the eighth accounted for their final run.

Sampson gave up one run in five innings and earned the victory. Four relievers — Carlos Diaz, Dalbert Siri, Jeremy Rhoades and Jameson McGrane — held Fargo-Moorhead scoreless over the final four frames.

When McGrane fielded a comebacker and raced to first for the final out, the celebration was on.

The Monarchs’ previous championships include a Northern League title won in 2008 and an American Association crown collected in 2018.

This story was originally published September 21, 2021 at 6:29 AM.