KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Kansas City Monarchs from Down Under got to work in a Monday matinee. Starter Josh Hendrickson and third baseman Robbie Glendinning guided the Monarchs to a 5-1 victory over the Gary SouthShore RailCats on Monday afternoon.

The win moves Kansas City (28-17) back into a tie for first place in the American Association West Division with the Sioux City Explorers.

Hendrickson spun a masterful outing. The southpaw hurled seven innings and allowed just one unearned run on five hits.

“I had a great catcher behind the plate in Ryan Leitch. He did a great job calling a hell of a game,” Hendrickson said. “Just going after guys and trusting that I’m good enough.”

Hendrickson (5-2) struck out seven in the win. He got better and better throughout, fanning the side in the seventh inning.

“It’s just making adjustments. Pitching and hitting is like a cat-and-mouse game,” Hendrickson said. “You have to pay attention to what guys want to hit.”

The Monarchs responded to a 1-0 deficit with two fourth-inning home runs.

Glendinning lifted a solo home run down the first-base line to tie the game at one, his team-leading 10th home run of the season.

Kansas City wasted no time to take the lead. Alvaro Gonzalez whalloped a two-run home run later in that frame to make it 3-1, Monarchs.

Glendinning polished off an important two-run eighth inning. Ross Adolph led off the frame with a standup triple and would score one pitch later on a Jaylyn Williams sacrifice fly.

Glendinning pummeled an RBI double down the left-field to extend the Monarchs lead to 5-1.

“It’s always great to have another Aussie in the clubhouse,” Hendrickson said. “I never really got to play with him while I was younger. It’s great now.”

Glendinning finished 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs in the win. Jeff Hakanson (1) delivered the final six outs to earn the save.
Kansas City earned a series split with the RailCats (12-34) with the win.

“A happy bus ride makes it easier for this trip,” Hendrickson said. “Hopefully go win three at their place to come back home happy.”

UP NEXT

The Monarchs and RailCats meet for three more games this week at The U.S. Steel Yard in Gary, Indiana. First pitch on Tuesday night is slated for 6:45 pm. Listen to the action on The Bet KC 1660 AM and the Audacy app.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Barbeque sauce.

Ryan Leitch harnessed his inner Jamie Tartt on Ted Lasso Night. The catcher leveled the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off home run for a 7-6 win over the Gary SouthShore RailCats.

The win moves the Kansas Monarchs City (27-16) into first place in the American Association.

Leitch overcame adversity in the top of the ninth. A throwing error by the catcher allowed Gary SouthShore to rally, later tying the game at six on an Elvis Peralta sacrifice fly.

He got an immediate chance to make amends and smoked a ball 420 feet for KC’s third walk-off win of the season.

“I got us into that situation,” Leitch said, “I figured I might as well end it.” 

The RailCats (11-33) shocked the 2,366 Monarchs fans with a late-inning comeback. Gary SouthShore plated two runs in the eighth and the game-tying sac fly in the ninth to tie the game at 6-6.

Leitch’s blast sent the crowd into a frenzy. The Monarchs came together as a team to douse their catcher in Gatorade baths at home plate.

“It shows the chemistry that we have. Even if we lose, we come back with the same attitude,” Leitch said. “We’re looking to defeat everybody.”

The Monarchs jumped ahead to a 4-1 advantage early thanks to some great pitching. Right-hander Jackson Goddard put together a quality start with six innings of three-run ball. Goddard struck out seven, his fourth consecutive game with seven or more K’s.

“We were setting up middle and letting his stuff play,” Leitch said. “He’s a great pitcher and he knows what he’s doing.”

Jaylyn Williams and Jorge Bonifacio each sparked the Monarchs’ offense. Williams gave KC a 2-1 lead in the third inning with an RBI double.

Bonifacio stretched the lead with a fifth-inning two-run shot. The former Major Leaguer’s fifth homer pulled Kansas City into a 6-3 lead.

The RailCats manufactured three late runs off of Daniel Martinez (3-1), who closed the ninth one batter after the sac fly.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs and RailCats play game three of their four-game set from Legends Field on Sunday at 1:05 pm. Blake Goldsberry starts for Kansas City against Gary SouthShore’s Andres Diaz.

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Kansas City Monarchs got the last laugh in a heated series finale, topping the Lincoln Saltdogs 7-5 from Haymarket Park Thursday night.

The Monarchs relinquished a 5-0 lead but pushed across two runs in the ninth on a single from Blake Rutherford to snag the victory.

The result moves the Monarchs (26-15) back into first place outright in the American Association West heading into a four-game homestand beginning Friday.

Julian Garcia set the tone for the Monarchs in the win, striking out nine batters over five scoreless innings. Kansas City’s ace of staff has struck out 35 batters over his last three starts, totaling 19 innings of work.

Kansas City scored four runs in the fourth to take control early. Rutherford drew a bases-loaded walk off Saltdogs starter Jhon Vargas to open the scoring. Alvaro Gonzalez delivered an RBI single to make it 2-0. Sacrifice flies from Josh Bissonette and Christopher Familia made it 4-0 KC.

Familia added another RBI with a run-scoring single in the top of the sixth, giving the Monarchs a 5-0 advantage.

Lincoln manufactured a run in the bottom of the seventh before scoring four in the eighth to tie the score. Rolando Espinosa hit a two-run double to make it 5-5.

The Monarchs took the lead back on Rutherford’s single. Jorge Bonifacio scored from second and Robbie Glendinning came in from third after slow fielding from the Saltdogs infield.

Jeff Hakanson got the final five outs to earn the win for Kansas City, striking out two.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs return home for the first time in nearly two weeks to take on the Gary SouthShore RailCats Friday night. It’s KU Night at Legends Field, featuring an autograph signing from former Jayhawks basketball star Ochai Agbaji. Tickets are available now at MonarchsBaseball.com.

LINCOLN, Neb. — Ryan Leitch was flawless at the plate but the Kansas City Monarchs lost a tight one to the Lincoln Saltdogs 6-5 Tuesday night at Haymarket Park.

Leitch was 3-for-3 with a double and a walk in the series opener.

Ross Adolph collected four hits and two RBIs out of the leadoff spot in the losing effort. Robbie Glendinning hit his ninth home run of the season, the Monarchs’ 50th of the year overall.

The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for the Monarchs (25-14), who still hold the best record in the American Association.

Lincoln (20-22) jumped out to a 3-0 lead against Monarchs starter Blake Goldsberry, who was making his first start of the season after beginning the year out of the bullpen. Yusniel Diaz hit a two-run home run in the frame.

An RBI single from Adolph made it 3-1 in the third, and Glendinning’s home run cut the lead in half to start the sixth.

Kansas City delivered three straight singles later in the sixth inning from Adolph, Jaylyn Williams and John Nogowski to take a 5-3 advantage.

A two-run home run from Rolando Espinosa tied the game in the bottom of the sixth.

Lincoln took the lead for good in the eighth on an RBI single from Bautista, who finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

UP NEXT

Kansas City and Lincoln meet for the second game of their series at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday night. Josh Hendrickson will start for the Monarchs against Lincoln’s Dylan Castaneda.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Daniel Martinez became a breakout star for the Kansas City Monarchs. Now the Cincinnati Reds have taken notice.

The Monarchs have transferred the right-hander’s contract to the Reds organization, the four-time league champions announced Saturday.

The 26-year-old from Riverside, California features a lively fastball and wicked slider, in addition to showing impressive command. He produced an elite 48-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio across seven starts and 37.1 innings of work.

“From the first time I saw Daniel Martinez in spring training, I knew he had electric stuff,” Monarchs manager Joe Calfapietra said. “He’s worked hard this year to make his great stuff even more effective, showing a lot more of his command. We’re thrilled he’s earned this opportunity.”

Martinez is the fifth 2025 Kansas City Monarch to sign with an affiliated team. He joins fellow pitchers Josh Bortka (Twins) and Jake Brentz (Cubs) along with infielder Matt Higgins (Phillies) and utility player Peyton Holt (Reds).

In addition, three 2025 Monarchs have signed with Mexican League teams: first baseman Jhailyn Ortiz, outfielder Isiah Gilliam and relief pitcher Tyler McKay.

“We have the ability to get guys in, work with them, and then move them on,” Calfapietra said. “We’re very pleased with the success rate that we have. It goes to show the track record we have with this organization that has continued to build throughout the years.”

The Monarchs (23-13) are a half-game out of first place in the American Association West. They return home to Legends Field Friday June 27 for KU Night and Saturday June 28 for Ted Lasso Night. Tickets are available now at Tickets.MonarchsBaseball.com.