Royals In Monarchs Duds: June 10, 2000 & June 23, 2001

I unfortunately have no photos to share from 2000. The game was held against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 10. The Royals wore a 1945 Monarchs style. The Monarchs had two or three looks that year, so I’m not sure just what the Royals looked like that day. (I’ll have some photos of 1945 styles worn in 2004 and 2007 games in later posts.) 1945 is an important year in Monarchs history: Jackie Robinson was playing shortstop and being scouted surreptitiously by the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Pirates wore Homestead Grays uniforms, but I unfortunately don’t know what year they were shooting for or what they looked like. But here’s a nice of shot of Josh Gibson in a Grays uni:

The game itself was a 12 inning win for Kansas City. The Royals clung to a 1-0 lead before yielding the tying run in the top of the ninth. Johnny Damon led off the 12th with a single, Luis Ordaz bunted him over, and Mike Sweeney singled Damon home for the walk-off win.

For 2001, the Royals hosted the Cleveland Indians on June 23. The Royals sported a 1942 style Monarchs uniform seen here on the ’42 Monarchs pitching staff:

Here is Mike Sweeney's jersey and in action that day:

The Indians represented the 1945 Cleveland Buckeyes, perhaps in a style similar to the unis seen in these photos from '45:

The Buckeyes won the ’45 World Series over the Homestead Grays, and were led by batting champ Sam Jethroe and catcher/manager Quincy Trouppe.

As for the Royals vs. Indians in 2001, Kansas City eked out the win. All 5 runs in the game were scored in the first inning and a half, and the Royals hung on for a 3-2 victory.