Ralph Kiner remembered as baseball slugger turned broadcaster

Ralph Kiner was a prodigious home run hitter with three teams during his major league baseball career. The Hall of Famer then parlayed his knowledge of the game into a successful broadcasting career with the New York Mets.

|
AP/File
In this July 11, 1950 file photo, Pittsburgh Pirates' Ralph Kiner, right, talks with Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox before the start of the All-Star game at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

Ralph Kiner was a smash as a slugger, launching so many home runs over the left-field wall at old Forbes Field that fans nicknamed it his corner.

Years later, as one of baseball's most beloved broadcasters, he became a big hit in a new "Kiner's Korner."

Kiner, the Hall of Famer whose frequent malaprops endeared him to New York Mets listeners for more than a half-century, died Thursday. He was 91.

The Hall of Fame said Kiner died at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., with his family at his side.

"He was a jewel," Mets Hall of Famer Tom Seaver said.

Kiner hit 369 home runs during a 10-year career cut short by back problems. He debuted with Pittsburgh in 1946 and won or tied for the National League lead in homers in each of his first seven seasons.

He was popular off the field, too. His Hollywood pals included Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, he squired Liz Taylor and Janet Leigh, and he played himself in the 1951 film "Angels in the Outfield."

Kiner became a Mets announcer in their expansion season of 1962, working 17 years as a trio with Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson. Kiner called their games for 52 years in all, including a handful of them last season.

Kiner was already a fixture on the Mets' airwaves when he was inducted into the Hall in 1975. He was elected with just one vote to spare in his 15th and final year on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot.

The six-time All-Star outfielder still ranks sixth all-time with a home run every 14.1 at-bats. He averaged more than 100 RBIs per season and hit .279 with the Pirates, the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland.

When he retired, Kiner was sixth on the career home run list.

To generations of TV viewers and radio listeners, his postcareer acclaim was as great as the honors he earned on the field.

"Kiner's Korner" was a delight for players and fans alike, where stars would join Kiner for postgame chats.

"I loved going on 'Kiner's Korner.' I enjoyed talking baseball with Ralph, especially learning about players from his era," former Mets star Dwight Gooden said. "But what really made it special was every time you went on, you got a $100. For a rookie like me in 1984, a $100 was a big deal."

Kiner was known for tripping over his own words, and often laughed about his own comments.

"If Casey Stengel were alive today, he'd be spinning in his grave," he once commented after a misplay.

"On Father's Day, we again wish you all a happy birthday," he also said.

Then there was the time Gary Carter hit a winning home run in the 10th inning of his Mets' debut in 1985 and Kiner introduced him as Gary Cooper, the famed actor.

"Gary was a great sport about it," Kiner remembered. "He came on 'Kiner's Korner' afterward and introduced himself to me as Gary Cooper and even signed a picture to me, 'Gary Cooper Carter.'"

His observations were pretty astute, too.

Talking about a former Gold Glove outfielder, Kiner remarked: "Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water. The other third is covered by Garry Maddox."

Kiner had a stroke about a decade ago that slowed his speech, but remained an occasional part of the Mets' announcing crew.

Fellow announcers such as Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling always brightened when Kiner was alongside them. Younger fans who were born long after Kiner retired also reveled in his folksy tales.

"As one of baseball's most prolific power hitters for a decade, Ralph struck fear into the hearts of the best pitchers of baseball's Golden Era despite his easygoing nature, disarming humility and movie-star smile," Hall President Jeff Idelson said in a statement.

"His engaging personality and profound knowledge of the game turned him into a living room companion for millions of New York Mets fans who adored his game broadcasts and later 'Kiner's Korner' for more than half a century," he said. "He was as comfortable hanging out in Palm Springs with his friend Bob Hope as he was hitting in front of Hank Greenberg at Forbes Field."

As a teen, hanging around the Hollywood Stars in the Pacific Coast League, Kiner shook hands with Babe Ruth and talked ball with Ty Cobb. In high school, he hit a home run off Satchel Paige during a barnstorming tour.

After serving as a Navy pilot in World War II, Kiner had a strong rookie year and won the NL homer title with 23, beating Johnny Mize by one. He really broke loose the next year, hitting 51 home runs with 127 RBIs while batting .313.

Stuck on poor teams, Kiner never made it to the postseason. He made his mark in All-Star games, homering in three straight.

Kiner connected in the 1950 showcase at Comiskey Park, but made more noise with another ball he hit in the game. He hit a long drive to the base of the scoreboard in left-center field and Ted Williams broke his left elbow making the catch, causing him to miss two months.

"Williams always said I ruined his batting stroke, that he could never hit after that," Kiner said. "Yeah, sure. He only hit .388 in '57."

Mets owner Fred Wilpon remembered Kiner as "one of the most beloved people in Mets history — an original Met and extraordinary gentleman."

"His knowledge of the game, wit, and charm entertained generations of Mets fans. Like his stories, he was one of a kind," he said. "Our sport and society today lost one of the all-time greats."

The Mets named the home TV booth at Shea Stadium in his honor. The Pirates retired Kiner's No. 4.

"All of us at the Pittsburgh Pirates have heavy hearts upon learning of Ralph Kiner's passing," the team said in a statement.

Ralph McPherran Kiner was born on Oct. 27, 1922.

He was first married to tennis star Nancy Chaffee. Following their divorce he married Barbara George, and following another divorce he married DiAnn Shugart, who died in 2004.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Ralph Kiner remembered as baseball slugger turned broadcaster
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0207/Ralph-Kiner-remembered-as-baseball-slugger-turned-broadcaster
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe