Ralph Kiner
A powerful right-handed hitter, Ralph Kiner won seven straight home run titles before he turned 30 years old. Unfortunately, a back condition forced him to retire at the age of 33, but his amazing home run pace (second only to Babe Ruth), helped Kiner earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. After his playing career, Kiner enjoyed a long and successful career as a broadcaster for the New York Mets.
Played For
Pittsburgh Pirates (1946-1953)
Chicago Cubs (1953-1954)
Cleveland Indians (1955)
All-Time Rankings
Ralph Kiner ranks #16 among the Top 50 all-time at LF. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1949
Kiner won his fourth consecutive home run crown (54), led the league in RBI (127), and slugging. His .310 batting average left him fifth, well behind NL-pacesetter Jackie Robinson's .342. As he did four times, Kiner posted an OBP above .400 (.432). Despite his Herculean power numbers, the Pirates finished in sixth place.
Kiner and Greenberg
After the Detroit Tigers decided slugger Hank Greenberg was finished, they let him go to the Pirates in 1947. "Hammerin Hank" had won the the 1946 AL home run crown, and in anticipation of having both home run champions in their lineup, the Bucs fashioned Forbes Field to their two right-handed power hitters. A 30-foot wide bullpen was added just beyond the fence in left field, significantly reducing the distances in left and center field (left field from 365 to 335 feet and the left-center power alley from 406 to 355 feet). Pittsburgh officials dubbed it "Greenberg Gardens" (later "Kiner's Korner") and waited for the hoimers to fly. In '47, Kiner belted 51 to tie Johnny Mize for the NL lead, while Greenberg slugged 25 homers in his final major league season. Later, as the General Manager of the Cleveland Indians, Greenberg acquired Kiner from the Cubs.
Most Game-Ending Grand Slams
Alex Rodriguez... 3
Vern Stephens... 3
Cy Williams... 3
Bob Aspromonte... 2
Albert Belle... 2
Bobby Bonds... 2
Steve Finley... 2
Ruppert Jones... 2
Ralph Kiner... 2
Davey Lopes... 2
Mark McGwire... 2
Jim Presley... 2
Nomar Garciaparra... 2
David Eckstein... 2
Born
Ralph McPherran Kiner was born on October 27, 1922, in Santa Rita, NM.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: PIT
Major League Debut
April 16, 1946
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1946
Yogi Berra
Ralph Kiner
Alvin Dark
Carl Furillo
Bobby Thomson
Joe Garagiola
Ellis Kinder
Vic Raschi
Sherm Lollar
Uniform Numbers
#43 (1946), #4 (1947-1954), #9 (1955)
Similar Players
Harmon Killebrew, Rocky Colavito
Related Players
Hank Greenberg... Kiner tied Johnny Mize for the NL home run title in both 1947 and 1948... Kiner joined Hank Sauer in the Cubs outfield, with whom he had tied for the home run crown in 1952.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1960 |
BBWAA |
3 |
1.1% |
1962 |
BBWAA |
5 |
3.1% |
1964 |
BBWAA |
31 |
15.4% |
1964 |
Run Off |
3 |
1.3% |
1966 |
BBWAA |
74 |
24.5% |
1967 |
BBWAA |
124 |
42.5% |
1967 |
Run Off |
41 |
13.4% |
1968 |
BBWAA |
118 |
41.7% |
1969 |
BBWAA |
137 |
40.3% |
1970 |
BBWAA |
167 |
55.7% |
1971 |
BBWAA |
212 |
58.9% |
1972 |
BBWAA |
235 |
59.3% |
1973 |
BBWAA |
235 |
61.8% |
1974 |
BBWAA |
215 |
58.9% |
1975 |
BBWAA |
273 |
75.4% |
|
Milestones
- May 25, 1953: 300th HR...
Batting Feats
Notes
Kiner never finished higher than fourth in Most Valuable Player voting.
Transactions
June 4, 1953: Traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates with Joe Garagiola, Catfish Metkovich, and Howie Pollet to the Chicago Cubs, for Toby Atwell, Bob Schultz, Preston Ward, George Freese, Bob Addis, Gene Hermanski, and $150,000 in cash; November 16, 1954: Sent by the Chicago Cubs to the Cleveland Indians to complete an earlier deal made on September 30, 1954. The Chicago Cubs sent a player to be named later to the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later, Sam Jones, and $60,000 cash. The Cubs sent Ralph Kiner (November 16, 1954) to the Cleveland Indians to complete the trade. The Cleveland Indians sent Gale Wade (November 30, 1954) to the Chicago Cubs to complete the trade.
Home Run Facts
From September 10-12, 1947, Kiner hit eight homers in four games, setting a major league record... His 101 homers in 1949-1950 set a National League mark for two seasons, which has subsequently been surpassed... No other player has ever led his league in homers seven straight times.
All-Star Selections
1948 NL
1949 NL
1950 NL
1951 NL
1952 NL
1953 NL
Replaced
Jim Russell, who split time between center and left, along with Kiner in Ralph's 1946 rookie season.
Replaced By
The Bucs replaced him short-term with Hal Rice, and then Frank Thomas, but left field remained a problem for Pittsburgh until Bob Skinner came along in 1957-1958.
Best Strength as a Player
Power and strike-zone judgment.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Health - his bad back sent him into retirement at the age of 33.
Learn More about Ralph Kiner
Search Amazon.com for Books about Ralph Kiner ⇒
Search for Ralph Kiner at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
