I was truly surprised yesterday that I didn’t see much coverage of the one-year anniversary of Ralph Kiner’s death.
Kiner was not only a man who left a major imprint on Mets history after his playing days, but he was a Hall of Fame player as well. In a rather brief 10-year career, Kiner hit .279 with 369 homers and 1,015 RBI.
If you take away 1953, where he played just 41 games, he had 362 homers and 986 RBI in just nine years. If you average that out, that’s 40 homers and 109 RBI per season, which is insanely good.
Kiner was born on Oct. 27, 1922 in Santa Rita, New Mexico, and raised in Alhambra, California. He was of Pennsylvania Dutch (German) and Scots-Irish ancestry, although his maternal grandmother was Jewish. Kiner served as a U.S. Navy pilot during World War II.
Kiner debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in April of 1946, finishing with 23 homers, but 109 strikeouts. After the pirates convinced Hank Greenberg not to retire following the season, he worked with Kiner. The next year, Kiner led the league with 51 homers and struck out less than 100 times, which is unheard of for a power hitter in today’s game. For example, Nelson Cruz hit 40 home runs for the Orioles to lead baseball, but he struck out 140 times. In terms of Mets lure, Curtis Granderson and Lucas Duda struck out 144 and 135 times last year, respectively.
Kiner’s string of seasons leading the league in home runs reached seven in 1952, when he hit 37. This also was the last of a record six consecutive seasons in which he led Major League Baseball in home runs, all under the guidance of manager Billy Meyer and Pirate great Honus Wagner. He was selected to participate in the All-Star Game in six straight seasons, 1948 to 1953.
In 1961, Kiner entered the broadcast booth for the Chicago White Sox. The following year, Kiner, Lindsey Nelson and Bob Murphybegan broadcasting the games of the expansion New York Mets on WOR-TV in New York. The trio rotated announcing duties. Kiner also hosted a post-game show known as “Kiner’s Korner” on WOR-TV. Nationally, he helped call the Mets’ appearance in the 1969 World Series for NBC Radio. He won a local Emmy Award for his broadcasting work.
Rather than act like I knew what he was like, I refer to UltimateMetsDatabase, where fans shared their memories. I have posted a few below. Rest in peace Ralph:
colmar,morris
February 6, 2014
Ralph was always a breath of fresh air when he entered the TV booth. Although he was on for one inning once or twice a month,his insight to the different parts of the game and of course his unique stories and his great sense of humor will always be remembered. Marvelous Marv is waiting for your autograph.
community chest
February 7, 2014
Ralph was one of those rare people who seemed to have done exactly what he wanted to do and lived exactly as he wanted to live. What a gift to the fans he was. Pure class. Thanks for the memories, Ralph.
LA Mets Fan
February 9, 2014
As a player, Kiner was on target to break Ruth’s all-time HR recorded, but injuries cut his career short. As an announcer, Ralph Kiner was the Mets version of Vin Scully. He was identified with the Mets franchise in the same fashion as Tom Seaver. The Kiner-Nelson-Murphy team was a very important part of my childhood memories. Kiner’s Korner in the 70’s was iconic and something I always looked forward to watching. In the 1980’s the Kiner-McCarver-Zabriskie team had great chemistry and the games were enjoyable to watch. You can tell how much McCarver had respect for his elder statesmen. Kiner will also be remembered for his “Kinerisms” where he would sometimes makes as much sense as Yogi Berra. But he was a quite the character and somebody we loved and respected. An intelligent baseball man and great story teller. Rest in peace Ralph Kiner!
Shickhaus Franks
February 12, 2014
In the words of the Pretenders: Part of my childhood is gone. The tributes to Ralph have been wonderful including Boomer Esaison’s where he compared Kiner as the Derek Jeter of his day. RIP Ralph Kiner and I know that the Mets will wear a special “RK” patch on their uniforms this coming season.
