Pitcher

In 1984, at the ripe old age of 19, a young pitcher from Illinois took the mound for the Kansas City Royals for the first of an eventual 252 games he would start for the team. In 7 years with the Royals, Bret Saberhagen made the MLB All-Star Team twice, won the Cy Young Award twice, was named the MVP of the World Series and threw a no-hitter. And while saying the word “pitcher” to any true-blue Royals fan will immediately conjure up images of Saberhagen and his powerful right arm, the Pitcher neighborhood is named for a different Pitcher, Colonel Thomas Pitcher. In 1833, Colonel Pitcher was named the Jackson County Deputy Constable and eleven years later the Sheriff. However, the other kind of pitcher might be a better way to think of the neighborhood. The Pitcher neighborhood is like a dependable middle reliever. He’s always there for you and you can rest easy knowing he’s going to do what you need him to do. Like that reliever, the Pitcher neighborhood is understated and poised, with modest homes lining quiet streets. You won’t find mansions on a hill or estates with sweeping vistas. But you will find friendly neighbors and well-built houses, all within easy driving distance of some amazing amenities. And just to make the baseball analogy even more appropriate, one of those amenities is Kauffman Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals, which sits within a short drive of the neighborhood.

The median price for real estate in Pitcher is around $195,000, which puts the neighborhood right at the median price for all of Independence. Most homes in the neighborhood were built between 1940 and 1970, so buyers can expect to find sought-after features like hardwood floors and crown molding in many interiors. A cozy one-bedroom/one-bathroom bungalow sells for about $105,000, and a fully-updated and spacious five-bedroom/six-bathroom ranch-style home can sell for up to $495,000. “People in the neighborhood really work to maintain their homes,” says real estate agent Linda Holm of ERA McClain Brothers. “And many buyers are coming in and doing work to upgrade existing homes, so you’re seeing property values climb.”

Students in Pitcher can look forward to attending Little Blue Elementary, Raytown Middle and Raytown South High School. Students at Raytown South have a variety of opportunities to supplement college applications with an array of extracurricular activities. The school not only fields teams in several varsity sports, but also affords students the opportunity to participate in activities ranging from theater and orchestra to the robotics team, the forensics team, the environmental club and the Southside Steppers step club.

Neighborhood anglers will enjoy passing the time at the 7-acre Firehouse Park, which features a large pond that is stocked with largemouth bass, catfish and other species of fish. The dense forest surrounding the park also affords excellent opportunities for bird-watching or simply taking a relaxing walk under the canopy of foliage. Alternatively, Phil Roberts Park is located a few minutes’ walk north of the neighborhood, and it offers visitors a picnic shelter with a grill, a nature trail and directional signs (with distances to various waypoints) reminding visitors of those brave men and women who traveled the famed Oregon Trail heading west. And, of course, residents of Pitcher are less than two miles away from both Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium. That means that Chiefs football games and Royals baseball games are virtually right in your own backyard.

For groceries, you can head to Aldi, which is about 2 miles away, and both Lowe’s Home Improvement and Walmart Supercenter are just across I-70 for any home projects or household necessities. When hunger strikes and you’re not at home – or you’re at home but just don’t feel like cooking – head down to nearby Dixon’s Famous Chili Parlor, the restaurant begun by Texas transplant Vergne Dixon in 1919. They’ve been serving up steaming bowls of Vergne’s secret recipe (not to mention burgers and tacos, too) to hungry diners – including former President Harry S. Truman, who was so much of a regular that he had his own table – ever since. And if you’re really hungry, their all-you-can-eat option is guaranteed to fill you up, though they aren’t responsible for any lingering heartburn.

If you’ve been searching for a neighborhood with an amazing array of amenities to go along with well-built homes and a true neighborhood feel, Pitcher has only one thing to say to you: batter up.

Written By

Andrew Spencer

Photography Contributed By

Brooke Wasson

Video By

Zack Kojoyian