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Kiner, Hall of Fame slugger, broadcaster, dies at 91
Led Majors in homers for six straight years with Bucs; worked Mets games
since 1962
By Marty Noble / MLB.com | 2/6/2014 3:18 P.M. ET
When Frank Cashen approached a gathering of men at Spring Training camp in
the 1980s, he routinely addressed them three times. "Gentlemen, gentlemen,
gentlemen," the Mets general manager would say, no matter the number of
scoundrels and scallywags in the group. He once explained why he would paint
them all with the same benefit-of-the-doubt brush. "Just in case Mr. Kiner is
among them," Cashen said. "Any group that includes Ralph would have to be a
group of gentlemen."
A tad presumptuous, perhaps, but probably true; the gentle and princely
presence of Ralph Kiner could turn a gathering of crooks, rogues and rascals
into civil and gracious fellows. Mr. Kiner had that effect, the opposite of
one bad apple. "One wonderful man," Tim McCarver once said. "Any group of
people is better off if Ralph joins."
On this mournful day, consider the group of mankind worse off; Ralph
McPherran Kiner has died. One of baseball's genuine and most charming
gentlemen, foremost sluggers and most enduring personalities passed away
Thursday at age 91. He died peacefully of natural causes, with his family at
his side, at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., the National Baseball Hall of
Fame said.
"Ralph dominated at the plate for a decade, but his contributions to our
national pastime spanned generations," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "For 52
years, Ralph was a one-of-a-kind voice of the Mets, linking baseball's
unparalleled history to New York's new National League franchise since its
very inception.
"I am grateful that I recently had the opportunity to visit with Ralph, whose
lifetime of service to baseball will always be treasured by the fans of
Pittsburgh, New York and beyond. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend
my deepest condolences to his five children, his 12 grandchildren, his
friends throughout our game and his admirers everywhere."
The game's shoulders are slumping and its eyes are moist. Baseball has had
few in its family who were so widely revered, beloved and enjoyed.
"A man impossible to dislike," Kiner's long-time broadcast partner, the late
Bob Murphy, said years ago. No one has ever disputed that assessment. Whether
he was known as a Pirates slugger, Mets announcer, a Hall of Famer, the
Keeper of the Korner, golf partner or the guy next to you on the elevator,
Kiner was, above all, a gentleman. He held the door for his fellow men and
women, deferred to others, always reached first for the check and considered
a request for his autograph a compliment. He traveled on the high road
exclusively.
Now he is gone, leaving a legacy of always cordial interaction with folks he
did and did not know, exceptional power-hitting, masterful story-telling,
vast baseball knowledge, uncommon decency, untold kindnesses and
unforgettable slips of the tongue.
"It's always a pleasure to be in Mr. Kiner's company," Cashen, the GM from
1980-91, said the day he joined Kiner and others in the Mets' Hall of Fame.
"We could use more Ralph Kiners in our world."
Said Mets chairman and CEO Fred Wilpon: "Ralph Kiner was one of the most
beloved people in Mets history