Kansas City, Missouri
Tenants: Kansas City Athletics (AL, 1955-67); Kansas City Royals (AL, 1969-72), Kansas City Chiefs (AFL/NFL, 1962-72)
Opened: July 3, 1923
Ropened: April 12, 1955
First night game: n/a
Last game: October 4, 1972
Demolished: 1976
Capacity: 17,476 (1923); 30,296 (1955); 35,561 (1971)
Architect: Osborn Engineering (1923)
Builder: n/a
Owner: City of Kansas City
Cost: $400,000 (1923); $2.5 million (1955)
Location: One and a half miles southeast of downtown Kansas City at the intersection of 22nd street and Brooklyn Avenue. Left field (N) 21st Street; third base (E) Euclid Avenue; first base (S), 22nd Street; right field (E), Brooklyn Avenue.
Dimensions: Left field: 350 (1923), 312 (1955), 330 (1956), 370 (1961), 353 (1962), 331 (1963), 370 (1965), 369 (1967); left-center: 408 (1923), 382 (1955), 375 (1957), 390 (1961), 364 (1963), 392 (1964), 409 (1965), 408 (1969); center field: 450 (1923), 432 (1950), 430 (1955), 421 (1956), 410 (1964), 421 (1965); right-center: 382 (1955), 387 (1957), 364 (1962), 360 (1963), 392 (1964), 360 (1965), 382 (1969); right: field 350 (1923), 347 (1955), 352 (1956), 353 (1957), 338 (1963), 325 (1965), 338 (1966); backstop: 60 (1955), 70 (1963).
Fences: Left field: 24 (screen, 1955), 18.5 (concrete, 1958), 38.5 (20 screen over 18.5 concrete, 1959), 10 (1961), 13.5 (1962), 10 (1963), 22 (1967), 13 (1969); center field: 24 (1955), 12 (1958), 14 (1959), 12 (1961), 13.5 (1962), 10 (1963), 22 (screen, 1966), 40 (screen, 1969), 22 (screen, 1970); right field: 12 (1955), 14 (1959), 12 (1961), 13.5 (1962), 10 (1963), 4.5 (plywood, 1965), 40 (screen, 1966), 13 (1969), 12 (screen, 1970).
Built in 1923 by Kansas City Blues (AA) owner George Muehlebach, the single-decked Muehlebach Field cost $400,000. When the New York Yankees acquired the Blues in 1937 for their farm system, they renamed the park Ruppert Stadium. Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert died in 1939, and in 1943 the stadium name was changed to Blues Stadium. When the Athletics announced their move from Philadelphia to Kansas City in November 1954, the stadium was completely rebuilt, financed with the proceeds of an August 1954 bond issue. By opening day of the 1955 season, a roofed second deck was added and the name was changed to Municipal Stadium. After the 1967 season, owner Charles O. Finley moved the A's to Oakland. The expansion Kansas City Royals moved in in 1969 and played their first four seasons in Municipal Stadium, before moving to Kauffman (then Royals) Stadium. The stadium was demolished in 1976 and the site is now a community garden.
· Lou Gehrig took his final at bat in baseball at Muehlebach Field. To read more about that day, click here
· Former Braves Field scoreboard purchased and placed in right center field in the spring of 1955.
· The Kansas City Monarchs, one of the nation's leading Negro teams played in Municipal Stadium (Muehlebach Field) until their demise in 1955. Satchell Paige, Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks and Elston Howard all played for the Monarchs.
· Charlie O. Finley's "Pennant Porch" shortened the right field fence to 296 feet from home plate (the same as in Yankee Stadium), but lasted for only two preseason games before Commissioner Ford Frick and league president Joe Cronin ordered it removed.
· A small children's petting zoo located in foul territory down the left field line featured pheasants, monkeys, rabbits and the A's mascot, "Charlie O," a Missouri mule that often traveled with the team.
· Temporary bleachers were occasionally erected behind the right field fence.
· A's shortstop Bert Campanaris became the first player in modern times to play all 9 postions in one game there on September 8, 1965 in a 5-3 loss to the California Angels.
