Monarchs Cement First Round Home Field Advantage

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Kansas City Monarchs earned home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs in dominant style. Starting pitcher Ashton Goudeau and the Monarchs rolled by the Cleburne Railroaders, 12-3, at Legends Field on Sunday.

The win means the Monarchs’ first home playoff game is scheduled for Friday night at 6:35 p.m. from Legends Field. The full West Division Series schedule is below:

Game 1: Wednesday at Fargo-Moorhead, 6:30 p.m. 

Game 2: Friday at Kansas City, 6:35 p.m. 

Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday at Kansas City, 6:35 p.m.

Friday will be the Monarchs’ first home playoff game since 2023. 

“It’s always great being at home at Legends Field,” Goudeau said. “The energy will be good, our hitters like the field.”

Goudeau (5-5) put together his fourth consecutive quality start with six innings of one-run ball. The former major leaguer completed 24 consecutive scoreless innings after beginning the day with five shutout innings.

“It’s being in the playoff grind,” Goudeau said. “I was trying to make sure that this team is in these games late in the season so we can have a good spot in the playoffs.”

The Monarchs (58-41) climbed into the lead thanks to sacrifice flies by Ross Adolph in the second inning and Andres Noriega in the third.

Kansas City blew the game open with a couple of big home runs in the middle innings. Yoyner Fajardo skied a three-run home run in the fourth inning to give the Monarchs a 5-0 lead.
“Any time we can get run support early, it makes our job easier,” Goudeau said. “It means we can be more aggressive.”

Cleburne (43-56) pulled a run back with a solo home run in the sixth by former major leaguer Shed Long Jr.

John Nogowski sealed Kansas City’s win shortly after. The Monarchs’ first baseman launched a grand slam to left-field in the bottom of the sixth inning to increase the lead to 9-1.

The home run was Nogowski’s fifth of the month. The former Pittsburgh Pirate led KC with 26 RBIs during August.

The Monarchs tightened their grip on the game with three more runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it 12-1.

The loss also eliminated the Railroaders from playoff contention in the East Division.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs close their 2025 regular season on Monday at 1:05 pm. Jackson Goddard starts for Kansas City’s Fan Appreciation Day at Legends Field.

Masterful Hendrickson Leads Monarchs Past Railroaders

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Josh Hendrickson put together a magical performance on Wizard Night at Legends Field.

Hendrickson conjured up a 3-0 win for the Kansas City Monarchs over the Cleburne Railroaders on Saturday night. The performance marked Hendrickson’s sixth win in eight games at home this season.

The Australian tossed six scoreless innings in the victory. Hendrickson (10-5) struck out six Railroaders in the win.

“I had a good pitch mix, [Andres] Noriega called a helluva game behind me,” Hendrickson said. “He’s managed well, our coaching staff has been instrumental to helping us as a team.”

The Monarchs (57-41) backed their starter with some special defense. Kansas City casted two double plays; a 5-4-3 twin killing in the second and a 4-4-3 DP in the third. Brantley Bell assisted in both double plays.

“He’s been great, been swinging it well at the top of the lineup,” Hendrickson said. “He’s been a great addition to the team.”

Bell finished with a team-high three hits and two runs scored.

Kansas City evoked three runs early to take the lead. John Nogowski delivered a pair of RBIs with a first inning sacrifice fly and a third inning single.

Robbie Glendinning lifted another sac fly in the third to make it 3-0, Monarchs.
“It gives you some breathing room when the guys put up runs,” Hendrickson said.

The Monarchs brought multiple fantastic beasts out of their bullpen. Cruz Noriega and Steffon Moore each mowed through the Railroaders (43-55) with scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth innings.

Hunter McMahon shut the door for his 13th save to deliver the Monarchs a series-evening win in the ninth.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs carry on their four-game series with the Railroaders at 1:05 pm on Sunday. Ashton Goudeau starts for Kansas City, Dakota Chalmers for Cleburne.

Monarchs Out-Slugged By Railroaders

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Ross Adolph delivered his eighth home run of the season, but a plethora of Cleburne Railroaders home runs proved too much.

The Kansas City Monarchs were defeated 9-4 by the Railroaders on Friday night at Legends Field. Cleburne mashed four home runs in the series opener.

Adolph blasted a leadoff home run in the ninth. The returning Monarch (56-41) drilled a laser to right field for his eighth round-tripper of the season.

Adolph finished with 2 RBIs in the defeat, also delivering a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning.

The Railroaders jumped on Monarchs starter Blake Goldsberry (8-2). Cleburne (43-54) took a 6-0 lead in Goldsberry’s three innings of work.

Kyle Martin clubbed two home runs in his first two at-bats to take over the franchise single-season lead. Martin’s 28th and 29th home runs surpassed Jose Sermo’s 2023 record.

The Monarchs pulled three runs back in the sixth inning. Álvaro Gonzalez, Andres Noriega and the aforementioned Adolph each pocketed RBIs to hedge the Railroaders’ lead to five.

Nick Shumpert put the game on ice with a leadoff home run in the seventh inning to make it 9-3.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs host Wizard Night at Legends Field on Saturday at 6:35 pm. Left-handed Josh Hendrickson starts for Kansas City, Cleburne’s starter is still to-be-announced.

Monarchs Muscle Back, But Drop Series Finale With Milkmen

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. – A hard-fought rally came up just short for the Kansas City Monarchs.

The Monarchs dropped their series finale with the Milwaukee Milkmen, 3-2, in 10 innings at Legends Field on Thursday night. Andy Blake’s go-ahead sacrifice fly gifted Milwaukee the game-clinching RBI.

John Nogowski willed the Monarchs back after facing an early deficit. The first baseman finished 3- for-4 with both RBIs in a losing effort.

The Milkmen (42-53) surged ahead with two early-inning RBI singles. Chase Estep opened the scoring in the top of the first, Alec Olund made it 2-0 in the top of the second.

Left-handed starter Julio Robaina rolled through Milwaukee’s strong start. The southpaw retired 10 of the final 12 batters that he faced to hold the Milkmen in check.

Robaina delivered five complete innings and surrendered just one earned run in his Monarchs debut. Nogowski took over from there to keep the Monarchs in it.

He smashed a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to left-center field, cropping Milwaukee’s lead to one. Nogowski lifted an RBI sac fly in the seventh inning to knot the contest at two.

Three Monarchs (56-40) relievers combined to keep the Milkmen bats quiet in the ninth inning.

Kansas City brought the go-ahead run to third base, but failed to bring in pinch-runner Yoyner Fajardo.

Blake’s sac fly off Hunter McMahon (2-2) proved to be just enough for the visitors. Jordan Johnson pitched a 1-2-3 10th inning to clinch a series sweep.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs begin their final regular season series against the Cleburne Railroaders. Kansas City hosts the Railroaders at Legends Field for four games; Friday and Saturday at 6:35 pm, Sunday and Monday at 1:05 pm.

Monarchs Sign Impact Lefty Robaina For Playoff Push

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A dominant left-hander from the Mexican League is joining the Kansas City Monarchs for their 2025 playoff run.

Julio Robaina, a former Astros prospect who had a 3.17 ERA for Tigres de Quintana Roo this season, has signed with the four-time league champions. He will start Thursday night’s game with the Milwaukee Milkmen at Legends Field.

Robaina arrives in Kansas City after Monarchs pitcher Julian Garcia had his contract transferred to the Reds organization. Teams in the American Association aren’t typically allowed to add players this late in the season, but the Monarchs were able to add a new pitcher to fill Garcia’s spot in the rotation.

“We think Julio is a solid arm that’s going to fit really nicely with our ball club,” Monarchs manager Joe Calfapietra said. “He’s a competitor who’s pitched at a high level; he’s a high-velocity strike thrower with a great four-pitch mix. We’re fortunate to have him on our team.”

Robaina, 24, is in his seventh professional season. He briefly pitched in Triple-A with the Astros in 2024, spending most of that season with Double-A Corpus Christi. He played winter ball in Venezuela with Caracas in the 2024-25 season.

The Cuban-born southpaw threw 71 innings with Quintana Roo in 2025 over 16 games (12 starts), striking out over a batter per inning.

Robaina made his pro debut in 2018. He owns a 4.42 ERA and 9.5 K/9 across his professional career.

The Monarchs (56-39) have clinched a playoff spot in the American Association West. Their first playoff game is scheduled for Wednesday, September 3. The game’s time, location and opponent are still to be determined.

Monarchs Drop Second Game to Milkmen

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Micah Pries demolished a 417-foot home run, but it was too little, too late for the Kansas City Monarchs.

The Monarchs fell flat against the Milkmen in a 7-2 defeat at Legends Field. Pries’ home run came with the Monarchs (56-39) chasing seven runs in the ninth.

Milkmen starter Matt Walker (7-3) shoved for six scoreless innings. Walker no-hit the Monarchs for five innings to open the game.

The Milkmen left-hander allowed just three base runners and one hit, a leadoff single by Josh Bissonette in the sixth inning.

Kansas City starter Jackson Goddard (2-3) returned to Legends Field with four innings and two strikeouts after a strong stint in the Mexican league. The right-hander surrendered just one run on three hits.

Three home runs powered Milwaukee to a 5-0 lead after eight innings.

Chase Estep soared a 437-foot home run in the third inning to give the Milkmen the edge. Baron Radcliff crushed a leadoff home run in the seventh inning to strengthen the lead.

Delvin Perez put the game out of reach with a two-out three-run home run in the eighth inning.

The Milkmen tagged two more runs in the ninth inning to ice the victory.

NEXT UP

The Monarchs close their three-game set with the Milkmen on Thursday night at 6:35 pm. Kansas City’s starter is still to-be-announced, Milwaukee will start left-hander Eric Chalus.

Monarchs Fall Short Despite Goudeau’s Gem

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Ashton Goudeau delivered a third consecutive scoreless start, but the Milwaukee Milkmen shocked Legends Field to steal a win.

The Kansas City Monarchs fell, 3-2, to Milwaukee on Tuesday night. The Milkmen erupted with two eighth inning home runs to steal the victory. 

Delvin Perez and Andy Blake each took Cruz Noriega (0-1) deep to turn a 2-0 Monarch lead into a 3-2 Milkmen advantage.

Goudeau put the Monarchs off on the front foot. The right-hander struck out five and allowed just four hits in his start.

Goudeau is up to 18 consecutive scoreless innings in August, the longest streak by a Monarchs pitcher all season long.

Second baseman Brantley Bell dazzled in his Monarchs (56-38) home debut. He finished 3-for-5 in the win and gave Kansas City a pivotal lead in the fifth.

Bell battled an eight-pitch at bat with Milwaukee starter Jhordany Mezquita, then powered a go-ahead knock into center field. Jorge Bonifacio delivered a second run in the inning with an RBI groundout.

Mezquita delivered five innings of two-run ball and added five strikeouts.

Milwaukee’s (40-53) late flurry provided just enough. Brady Puckett and Denny Bentley (12) delivered 1-2-3 frames in the eighth and ninth, moving the Milkmen within one game of a playoff spot in the American Association’s East Division.

UP NEXT

Jackson Goddard makes his Legends Field return on Wednesday night against Milwaukee’s Matt Walker. First pitch is slated for 6:35 pm.

‘As Special As They Come’: Monarchs’ Garcia Signs With Reds

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Julian Garcia has authored two of the greatest pitching seasons in Kansas City Monarchs history. Now he’s moving on to affiliated baseball.

The Monarchs’ ace of staff has signed with the Cincinnati Reds organization, the four-time league champions announced Sunday.

Garcia is the seventh Monarchs player to sign with an affiliated organization in the past calendar year. Nine more Monarchs have signed with Mexican League teams over that time span.

Garcia set a Monarchs record with 163 strikeouts in 2025, blowing past Tommy Collier’s team record of 140. He was four strikeouts shy of the American Association record, set current White Sox pitcher Tyler Alexander in 2017.

We couldn’t be happier as an organization to be able to share this news, and I couldn’t be more proud as his manager,” Monarchs manager Joe Calfapietra said. “They’re all special. This is as special as they come.”

Garcia finishes his Monarchs career with a 3.01 ERA across 14 games, 31 starts and 203.2 innings of work. His 2.54 ERA in 2024 was the second-best in club history, and his 0.99 WHIP that same year set a club record.

“We don’t feel this journey is going to end in the minor leagues,” Calfapietra said. “We feel with his skill set, the way he spins the baseball, he has an opportunity to make it to the major leagues. That’s the ultimate goal.

The Colorado native was the Monarchs’ Opening Night starter in 2025, posting a 3.38 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 19 starts with just 32 walks against his 163 Ks.

Garcia struck out 14 batters in a single game twice in 2025, including his last start with the team Friday night at Cleburne.

“Julian’s had opportunities to go elsewhere, to Mexico, but he wanted to stay here because he wanted an opportunity to go with an organization,” Calfapietra said. “He’s kept this positive drive, knowing this is what he wanted and this is what he’s going for.”

A 10th-round draft pick by the Phillies out of Metro State University in Denver, Garcia Garcia reached Triple-A in 2021. He missed the 2023 season before beginning 2024 in the Monarchs’ bullpen. He quickly earned a spot in the rotation and became the team’s No. 1 starter.

The Monarchs (55-37) have already clinched an American Association playoff spot. Their first playoff game is scheduled for Wednesday, September 3 (time, location and opponent to be determined).

Hendrickson Spins Gem, Monarchs Shut Out Cleburne

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Josh Hendrickson threw eight scoreless innings, Robbie Glendinning drove in three runs and the Kansas City Monarchs shut out the Cleburne Railroaders 5-0 Saturday night from La Moderna Field.

Hendrickson allowed just three hits in the win, which kept the Monarchs (55-37) two games clear of Fargo-Moorhead and Sioux Falls for second place in the American Association West.

Ross Adolph hit his 7th home run of the season for Kansas City on a tough night for Cleburne’s pitching staff. Manager Pete Incaviglia used seven different arms in the loss, including Kade Mechals, who was slated to start Sunday’s series finale.

Hendrickson struck out three and walked five in the win, throwing 94 pitches.

Glendinning’s two-run single gave Kansas City the lead with two outs in the third.

The Monarchs scored two more in the fifth. Micah Pries hit a two-out triple and Glendinning drove him in with another RBI single. Glendinning later scored on a wild pitch from Mechals.

Adolph’s solo home run in the eighth brought the game to its eventual final score. The 110-mph blast traveled 393 feet.

UP NEXT

Blake Goldsberry will start Sunday’s rubber game for Kansas City. Cleburne’s starter is still to be determined. First pitch is scheduled for 6:06 p.m. on The Bet KC 1660 AM and the Audacy app.

Monarchs Trade For All-Star Bell, Welcome Back Pitcher Goddard

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — With the playoffs less than two weeks away, the Kansas City Monarchs have made two big moves to bolster their roster.

All-Star infielder Brantley Bell is heading to the Monarchs via a trade with the Chicago Dogs and pitcher Jackson Goddard is returning to Kansas City from the Mexican League, the Monarchs announced Saturday.

The Monarchs acquired Bell for infielder Jaylyn Williams and pitcher Patrick Pridgen. The move also completes a previous trade between the teams.

Bell is an experienced, dependable infielder who played in the American Association All-Star Game in 2024. He sports a .298 batting average in 2025 with 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 63 games. The son of former major leaguer Jay Bell, he has four home runs in his last nine games.

“I’ve always known Brantley Bell was an exciting player to watch, a kind of player we’d like to have, that fits into our style of play,” Monarchs manager Joe Calfapietra said. “He brings a championship pedigree and experience to our lineup, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the Monarchs.”

2025 was Bell’s second season with the Chicago Dogs. He hit .320 in 2024 with 54 stolen bases, second-most in the American Association. A former Reds and Padres prospect, he played in Triple-A in 2021.

Bell was the Frontier League MVP in 2022 with the Tri-City ValleyCats, hitting 24 home runs and leading the league with 81 RBIs.

A former Kansas Jayhawk, Goddard returns to the Monarchs from Monclova in the Mexican League. He excelled in four starts with the club this season, posting a 1.56 ERA and striking out 19 batters in 17.1 innings of work.

“Jackson is one of our guys. He was with us last season and had a great year; he came back for 2025 and was even better,” Calfapietra said. “He had an outstanding season in Mexico, and we’re excited he decided to come back and help us with the playoff push.”

Goddard struck out 57 batters across nine starts and 46 innings of work with the Monarchs this season before leaving for Mexico He posted three quality starts, at one point striking out at least seven batters in four straight outings.

The moves came just before the American Association’s roster deadline on Saturday afternoon at noon Central time. Teams are not allowed to acquire new players for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.

The Monarchs (54-37) sit in second place in the American Association standings. Their first playoff game will be Wednesday, September 3. Their opponent and the location of the game have not been determined.