Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame

In 1912, Oswego’s Earl Hamilton pitched the first no-hitter in St. Louis Browns’ history.

It was the first no-hitter in MLB history in which a strikeout was not recorded. Hamilton and the Browns beat Detroit 5-1. The Tigers’ run came on a walk to Ty Cobb and an error.

Read about Hamilton at www.ksbaseballhof.com.

In World War II, Lawrence’s Ralph Houk landed on Omaha Beach a few days after D-Day, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

He was also promoted in rank prior to discharge and “The Major” would become his nickname as a major league player and manager.

Read about him at www.ksbaseballhof.com.

The winningest pitching coach in NCAA Division I history, Brent Kemnitz coached 17 future MLB pitchers at Wichita State.

Following 38 seasons as pitching coach, Kemnitz served as an assistant AD for another ten years. He will retire next month after 48 years at WSU.

Read about him at www.ksbaseballhof.com.

Wichitan Daryl Spencer made his MLB debut in 1952 with the New York Giants.

While in the military in 1954-55, he led the Boeing Bombers to back-to-back NBC World Series titles. After ten seasons in the majors, Spencer went to Japan where he became a fan favorite and hit 152 home runs in nine seasons.

Read about him at www.ksbaseballhof.com.

Join us this summer for the 2026 induction ceremonies for the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. We'll have three events recognizing the greats who have made their mark on the Sunflower State.

Tickets for the July 18 Kansas Baseball Legends ceremony in conjunction with the Kansas City Monarchs vs. Kane County baseball game at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kan., can purchased HERE: https://www.kshof.org/event-details/2026-induction-kansas-city-monarchs-game

Tickets for the July 25 Wichita induction ceremony at the Kansas Star Casino can be purchased HERE: https://www.kshof.org/.../2026-induction-ceremony-wichita-2

Tickets for the August 16 Kansas City induction ceremony at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., can be purchased HERE: https://www.kshof.org/event.../2026-induction-ceremony-kc-2

For more information visit www.kshof.org or contact the [email protected]

Pittsburg’s Don Gutteridge played for the 1936 St. Louis Cardinals “Gashouse Gang” He also played for the St. Louis Browns in the 1944 all-St. Louis World Series and later became a major league coach, manager and scout.

Read about him at www.ksbaseballhof.com.

Lou Clinton played eight seasons in the Major Leagues. He broke in with Boston and was in rightfield when Roger Maris hit his 61st home run in 1961.

Clinton owned and operated an oil business in Wichita after his major league career.

Read about him at www.ksbaseballhof.com.

On April 20, 1990, Wichitan Brian Holman came within one out of pitching a perfect game for the Seattle Mariners against Oakland.

Pinch-hitter Ken Phelps, however, homered to break up the perfect game and no-hitter. Holman struck out the next batter, Ricky Henderson, for a 6-1 victory.

Read about Holman at www.ksbaseballhof.com.

One of the most famous at bats in MLB history involved two Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame players.

Bob Cain, from Longford, was the pitcher and Bob Swift, from Salina, was the catcher when 3’7” Eddie Gaedel pinch-hit for the St. Louis Browns on August 19, 1951. Cain walked him on four pitches.

Swift can be seen in the famous photo of Gaedel at the plate.

Read about them at www.ksbaseballhof.com.

Congratulations to a distinguished class that includes eight members of the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce its 2026 induction class. A record 32 Kansas legends will be inducted at three different events this summer (12 inductees will go in posthumously). The class includes American record-holders and collegiate All-Americans, a World Series champion, Negro Leagues legends, NFL players and coaches as well as college and high school champions and a world-renown portrait artist.

Read more about the inductees - https://www.kshof.org/post/kansas-sports-hall-of-fame-announces-record-no-of-inductees-in-2026largest-class-to-be-recognized