Ralph kiner obituary
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Ralph Kiner
Ralph Kiner was baseball’s leading home-run hitter for a few years after World War II. As a broadcaster for the New York Mets, he became famous for his verbal strikeouts. Although best remembered for his long career behind the mike, he still ranks as one of the premier sluggers in baseball history.
Ralph McPherran Kiner was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico, on October 27, 1922. His mother, Beatrice Grayson, came from Oregon and had served as a nurse in France during World War I. His father, Ralph Macklin Kiner, was a baker. He died when Ralph was 4. The widowed Mrs. Kiner took a job in Alhambra, California, near Los Angeles. Ralph said he developed his baseball skills by playing year-round in the sunny climate and was encouraged by a neighbor who befriended the fatherless boy. He played shortstop for a youth team sponsored by the Yankees, but Pittsburgh scout Hollis Thurston convinced Kiner that the Pirates offered him a better opportunity than the talent-rich Yanks. He signed with Pittsburgh as soon as he graduated from Alhambra High.
Kiner began his professional c
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Ralph Kiner
American baseball player and broadcaster (1922–2014)
Baseball player
| Ralph Kiner | |
|---|---|
Kiner with the Pittsburgh Pirates, c. 1948 | |
| Left fielder | |
| Born:(1922-10-27)October 27, 1922 Santa Rita, New Mexico, U.S. | |
| Died: February 6, 2014(2014-02-06) (aged 91) Rancho Mirage, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| April 12, 1946, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| September 25, 1955, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Batting average | .279 |
| Home runs | 369 |
| Runs batted in | 1,015 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Induction | 1975 |
| Vote | 75.4% (13th ballot) |
Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955.
Following his retirement, Kiner served from 1956 through 1960 as general manager of the Pacific Coast LeagueSan Diego Padres.[1] He also served as an announcer for the New York Mets from
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Ralph Kiner
Before he even played a Major League game, Ralph Kiner was anointed by Pirates manager Frankie Frisch as a future star.
“Kiner looks like he's going to be the best [outfielder] we've ever had,” Frisch said.
Kiner made his major league debut in 1946 at age 23, having lost three prime years to service of his country in World War II. He wasted no time in making his presence felt as he led the National League in home runs and established a new franchise record in the process.
For a decade, Kiner was the game’s premier power hitter. He was the first National Leaguer to hit 50 home runs twice – it had only happened twice in the Junior Circuit – he became the first major leaguer to hit home runs in four straight at bats on two separate occasions and was also the first major league player to lead the league in home runs in seven consecutive seasons.
Hall of Famer Warren Spahn proclaimed: “Kiner can wipe out your lead with one swing.”
Kiner’s star blazed off the baseball diamond as well. He was well known in Hollywood circles, having dated starlets like Elizabeth Taylor
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