Slugger for lowly postwar Pirates

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By Jenn Menendez Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Former Pirates idol Ralph Kiner had the kind of swing that kept patrons in their seats at Forbes Field until he ambled to the plate for his final at-bat. A natural artist of the long ball, the Hall of Famer led the National League in home runs for each of his seven full seasons with the Pirates from 1946 to 1952, including a club-record 54 homers in 1949. But the team finished above .500 only once, in 1948, even with Mr. Kiner in the lineup during that time. In five of those seven seasons, the Pirates finished last or next-to-last in the eight-team league

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“People just waited there until he came up in the ninth inning,” said former teammate Frank Thomas, 84. “When they knew he was coming to bat, they made it a point to stay.” Mr. Kiner died Thursday at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., of natural causes. He was 91. After the Pirates’ dreadful 1952 season, when the team’s record was 42-112 in spite of Mr. Kiner’s league-leading home run performance, Pirates general manager Branch Rickey cut his salary, reportedly telling him, “Son, we can finish last without you.” Mr. Kiner later charmed generations of baseball fans in the broadcast booth as a commentator and analyst with the New York Mets for more than a half century from the club’s inception in 1962. “All of us at the Pittsburgh Pirates have heavy hearts upon learning of Ralph Kiner’s passing,” said Pirates president Frank Coonelly. “Ralph was one of the greatest players to ever wear a Pirates uniform and was a tireless ambassador for the game of baseball. He was a treasured member of the Pittsburgh community during his seven years with the Pirates.” Mr. Kiner made his major league debut with the Pirates on April 12, 1946, a time when the country was returning to normalcy after World War II. He was a handsome, clean- cut 23-year-old, and the right- handed batter swatted 23 homers that rookie year, followed by seasons of 51 homers, 40, 54, 47, 42 and 37. The Pirates didn’t always win, but Mr. Kiner made the games worth it. “I couldn’t go anywhere,” he once joked of his days with the Pirates. “Everywhere I went, I was recognized. If I went out to dinner, people would flock to the table. I really had to hide out.” He ranks second on the Pirates’ all-time home run list with 301. His No. 4 jersey was retired in 1987, 12 years after he was admitted to the Hall of Fame. His ratio of 7.1 home runs per 100 at-bats trails only Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds, according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “People stayed around to watch him hit those rocket home runs,” said former Pirates pitcher Bob Friend, 83. “He was a great teammate. All the players liked him. He was just a great guy. … Two players I saw hit the biggest power home runs ever? One was Ralph Kiner and the other was Willie Stargell. They hit those towering home runs. Just pure, home run hitters.” Mr. Thomas, who debuted with the Pirates in 1951, nearly got off to a rough start with Mr. Kiner at his first major league spring training. “One time I picked up his bat when I was a rookie. He said, ‘Son, you don’t do that.’ I said OK,” Mr. Thomas recalled. “But he was one great guy. You could sit down and you could talk to him. I’m really happy that I had the opportunity to play with him and to be friends with him.” Mr. Kiner was traded to the Chicago Cubs on June 4, 1953, and finished a career cut short by a back injury with the Cleveland Indians in 1955. He wound up with 369 career home runs and drove in 1,015 runs, an average of more than 100 a year. “I know when Branch Rickey traded him in 1953 it was one of the few mistakes that Rickey made,” Mr. Friend said. As a Mets broadcaster, Mr. Kiner became known for his postgame TV show “Kiner’s Korner” and his engaging interviews well through his 80s and as late as last season. Mr. Kiner was famous for his comic malapropisms, like this one: “If Casey Stengel were alive today, he’d be spinning in his grave.” Or the hilarious: “On Father’s Day, we again wish you all a happy birthday.” Ralph McPherran Kiner was born in Santa Rita, N.M., on Oct. 27, 1922. His father, a baker, died when Ralph was 4, and he moved with his mother, Beatrice, a nurse, to Alhambra, Calif., where he grew up playing ball. He signed with the Pirates after graduating from high school, playing two seasons and part of a third in the minor leagues before training as a Navy pilot during World War II. He served in the Pacific, assigned to search for Japanese submarines, although he acknowledged he did not see combat — or much else. Mr. Kiner is survived by five children and 12 grandchildren. The New York Times contributed.