part II of the i-70 series takes us to the origins of the KC-STL baseball rivalry with black baseball battles and an untimely blown call in the World Series.

Baseball has provided the biggest stage for the Kansas City versus St. Louis rivalry. The I-70 Series is most often associated with the rivalry between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals, but the two cities met way before Interstate 70 was ever constructed.

Professional baseball in both cities dates back to the 19th century, including when the St. Louis Cardinals were founded as the Brown Stockings in 1882.

The debut of the KC-STL rivalry is believed to have started six years later in 1888 when the Kansas City Cowboys played their first of two seasons in the American Association. That was 68 years before construction began for Interstate 70 in 1956.

The Cowboys and Browns matched up for the first time on May 1, 1888, in an 8-1 St. Louis win in front of a crowd of 800 spectators in Kansas City. Kansas City finally got the better of St. Louis on their eighth try in June 1888 in front of 900 fans before ending the year with a 4-16 record against STL.

The Cowboys finished 1888 last in the league with a 43-89 record while the Browns won the AA pennant for the fourth straight year. Kansas City came back in 1889 and was slightly improved, going 6-14 against St. Louis and did just enough to avoid last place before folding at the season’s conclusion.

I-70 Series Part I: The KC v STL Overview

Negro League Battles

With the original KC-STL battle on the diamond more than three decades earlier, the Negro Leagues was another one of the early battlegrounds for the KC-STL rivalry. The Kansas City Monarchs and St. Louis Stars both celebrated success with historic figures.

The Monarchs won 16 titles throughout their reign as Black baseball juggernauts, which included two Negro League World Series championships. The Monarchs had some of the game’s most iconic players like Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Bullet Rogan and Buck O’Neill.

The Stars won five titles including Negro National League pennants in 1928, 1930 and 1931, the Negro National League Second Half Championship in 1925 and the Negro American League Second Half Championship in 1939. Cool Papa Bell was their greatest superstar in his decade with the Stars, but they also had Hall of Famers like Biz Mackey, Willie Wells, Mules Suttles and Oscar Charleston.

The first notable Negro League I-70 Series matchup was in the 1925 Negro National League championship series, which decided who would play for the first-ever Colored World Series. Both teams earned a spot in the NNL championship series after winning half of the season. The Monarchs clinched the first-half season title and narrowly beat out the Stars. However, St. Louis got its revenge as they narrowly beat the Monarchs for the second-half title. That set up an epic Negro National League battle in a best-of-seven series to decide who would win the pennant and advance to the Colored World Series.

The Monarchs won game one, but then the Stars took the next two games in St. Louis before KC evened the series 2-2 in a Monarchs home game in Chicago due to Muehlbach Field being unavailable. The Stars came out and won the following day to come one win away from the pennant to dethrone the Monarchs, who had won the previous two pennants. Facing elimination, the Monarchs rallied together to win both games of a doubleheader as Bullet Rogan pitched a 4-0 shutout on one day of rest to secure the Monarchs a spot in the inaugural Colored World Series, which the Monarchs went on to lose against Hilldale.

The Stars won the pennant in 1928 as they finally overcame the mighty Monarchs by an eight-game margin at the end of the season. That success was short-lived when the Monarchs returned the favor in 1929 to beat their I-70 rival in both halves of the season after going 34-6 in the second half.

The Stars responded by running away with the pennant the next year to beat the Monarchs by 13.5 games. The Negro League I-70 rivalry concluded when the Monarchs left the league after the 1930 season. The Stars folded the following year after the NNL folded midway through the season, though the Stars did win their third and final pennant in the shortened franchise-ending season.

MLB’s I-70 Series

When someone hears the phrase “I-70 Series” they most likely think about the Royals-Cardinals rivalry. This rivalry is annual nowadays, but it hasn’t always been that way. The most memorable meeting between these two sides was the first in the 1985 World Series.

The MLB did not have interleague play back then, so when the Royals won the American League pennant and the Cardinals won the National League pennant, it meant an all-Missouri World Series for the first time ever.

The Cardinals took three of the first four games of the series, only needing to win one of the final three games to claim baseball’s most coveted crown for the organization’s 10th time. On the other hand, the Royals were eager to win their first World Series.

The Cardinals blew their first opportunity to take the series when they suffered a 6-1 loss in front of their home fans as Royals starting pitcher Danny Jackson took the win and became the only pitcher to ever toss an immaculate inning in the World Series.

Game 6 was a much tighter game in Kansas City. After seven scoreless innings, the Cardinals finally took the 1-0 lead in the top of the eighth. The Royals hoped for some luck with their World Series dreams drawing near its conclusion. And that is exactly what they got.

Royals leadoff hitter in the bottom of the ninth, Jorge Orta, hit a chopper that pulled Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark away from the base, forcing rookie reliever Todd Worrell to cover for him. That chaotic exchange forced an unorthodox play in which Orta was called safe in a close play at first base. Without the ability to utilize video replay technology, it was apparent that the call was wrong.

“I thought he was out at first,” said Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog about the blown call after the game. “I don’t mean to get on the umpiring, but we’re not getting too many calls. I’m really perturbed by it.”

The mistake proved pivotal as a big momentum shift ensued, with the home crowd appreciating the blown call. It was the single most iconic moment in the rivalry between KC and STL. Eventually getting runners on second and third with one out, the Royals ended up rallying to tie the game and end it with a two-RBI walk-off to right field from Dane Iorg. The series was extended for the series-deciding Game Seven less than 24 hours later.

Game 7 was a night of complete elation for the Royals and pure misery for the Cardinals. A two-run second inning and a three-run third set up a backbreaking six-run fifth inning for the Royals. Brett Saberhagen pitched a complete game shutout as the Royals lifted their first World Series championship at Royals Stadium after beating their cross-state rivals 4 games to 3.

MLB finally introduced interleague play in 1997 and the I-70 Series has played every year since. In 131 games between the Cardinals and Royals, the Cardinals have won 78 times while the Royals have won just 58 games. The Cardinals have won 16 season series over the Royals and lost just eight times with four series splits.

Over 100 players have played for both MLB franchises, including Carlos Beltran, Dan Quisenberry, Gary Gaetti and Mark Gruedzilanik.

Baseball Town

St. Louis is undoubtedly one of the finest baseball towns in the world. Steeped with history, the city embraces America’s pastime with unparalleled baseball history and consistently great crowds. That is why Bleacher Report ranked STL the No. 1 best baseball city in the United States in August 2011 before the Cardinals went on to win the club’s 11th World Series championship two months later.

That isn’t the first time or the last time they have been dubbed the best baseball city. The Cardinals sore past all other teams in St. Louis with regular attendances over 40,000 even during losing seasons. Wallet Hub ranked STL at No. 2 in a more data-driven report, trailing only New York while Kansas City was among the worst-performing cities after dropping down to No. 22 on the list.

Despite Kansas City’s illustrious baseball history, there is still a need for critical changes to consistently bring out decent crowds and a competitive team. The Royals have dropped to third in the city’s sports attendance figures. They are regularly beaten in attendance by Sporting KC, who have averaged higher attendance for four straight seasons (excluding 2020) despite the MLS side missing the playoffs possibly three of those seasons.

The lure of a new ballpark will attract some eyeballs, but losing Kauffman Stadium will turn others away. Only time will tell what will come for the Royals to stay relevant in Kansas City.

Return to kcsportonline.com next Wednesday, October 25, for Part III: True Rivals Indoors.

Part I: The KC vs STL Overview — Released on Oct. 11

Part II: Baseball’s I-70 Origins — Released on Oct. 18

Part III: True Rivals Indoors — Release on Oct. 25

Part IV: Exhibiting the Rivalry in the NFL — Release on Nov. 1

Part V: Hockey’s Limited Action — Release on Nov. 8

Part VI: Soccer is the Past, Present and Future — Nov. 15