This story was written by Curt Nelson, Director of the Royals Hall of Fame
After Jackie Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs, and before he broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he played for the Kansas City Royals. You read the correctly, Jackie Robinson played for the Kansas City Royals.
Now it wasn’t the Kansas City Royals we know today, but those of the 1945 California Winter League — the first integrated league of the 20th century. The circuit featured teams of Major Leaguers and Negro Leaguers who gathered on the west coast to play winter baseball.