Kansas City, Mo. – This weekend, 15 Texas Rangers Youth Academy athletes participated in the first Negro Leagues Experience, presented by Comerica Bank. The team spent time exploring the history of baseball’s Negro Leagues, played a friendly game versus the Kansas City Royals Urban Youth Academy and saw Saturday night’s matchup between the Royals and White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.

On Friday, Sept. 3, the team left DFW for Kansas City. The day began with lunch at Kansas City’s best pizza joint, Minsky's, courtesy of former Texas Rangers Ian and Allison Kennedy. On Friday night, the team visited the Negro League Baseball Museum to explore another side of the sport’s history.

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president, Bob Kendrick, gave an exclusive tour of the museum, sharing stories from the past and highlighting the importance behind baseball’s Negro Leagues.

“If you dare to dream and believe in yourself, you can do or be anything you want to be,” said Kendrick. “Those unsung players of the Negro Leagues, they dared to dream of playing baseball. Our story is not about the adversity, but rather, what they did to overcome the adversity. And that's the real story. And it is indeed a story that transcends race, it transcends age and it transcends gender.”

“[Bob Kendrick’s] stories hit a little differently,” said Juan Leonel Gárciga, Director of Youth Baseball & Academy Programs. “The passion in which he spoke to these young people, empowering them to carry the torch and explaining to them that this is their legacy, there’s going to be obstacles, and we still have a long way to go…but to continue to push forward and persevere. And that's the beautiful part about this game…if you are the best and you continue to excel, you're going to have opportunities.”

The day concluded with a team dinner at the museum where the boys reflected on baseball’s past and how they will continue to usher the sport into the future.

On Saturday morning, a stormy night turned the planned doubleheader into a single eight-inning game. The Texas Rangers 17U team faced the Kansas City Royals Urban Youth Academy 17U team, where the Rangers fell short with a final score of 8-7.

Pitchers Ian Williams and Amaad Garret had strong outings on the mound while Anthony Winters went 2-for-3 with double, triple and two stolen bases. Additionally, Carl Sullivan went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI while Grambling State University commit Chris Marcellus went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI.

“On Saturday, we got to go up against the Kansas City Royals Youth Academy team. It was a great game, and we got to show off the brand of baseball that we play down at our academy and showcase the athletic prowess of the young men on this team,” said Orlando Prescott, Youth Academy Coordinator, Baseball & Softball. “The guys played well, and we were able to get everyone into the game.”

To wrap up the trip, the team attended the Royals, White Sox game Saturday night. As a few Academy players predicted, the White Sox beat the Royals, with a final score of 10-7. Before the game, Royals general manager Dayton Moore spoke to the young men, imparting some of his wisdom and encouraging each one of them to continue their journey in the game of baseball. 

All the athletes shared unforgettable memories over the weekend. For some, their first trip on an airplane, their first time out of state, the best BBQ they’ve had, gut-busting laughs, strong plays on the diamond and a journey through history.