Friday, February 7, 2014

R.I.P. RALPH KINER: OCTOBER 22, 1922- FEBRUARY 6, 2014

Sad to hear that Ralph Kiner passed away yesterday at the age of 91.
Kiner broke into Major League baseball with a "bang", leading the league in homers his rookie year in 1946 with 23, and kept on bashing, leading the league for the next six years, with a high of 54 in 1949 for the Pirates.
Even though his career lasted only 10 years, he still ripped 369 homers! That's an average of just under 37 homers a year for his career! Amazing. 
But what I personally remember the Hall of Fame slugger for was his long-time career in the New York Mets' broadcast booth, announcing games for over 50 years since their inaugural season in 1962, straight through my childhood in New York in the 1970's and '80's.
In 1977 Topps had a "Turn Back the Clock" card in their sub-set that celebrated his seven consecutive home run titles.
Take a look:


Rest in Peace Mr. Kiner... 1922-2104

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