Hall of Fame left fielder Ralph Kiner was a much beloved sports figure in New York and broadcast Mets games from 1962 until 2006. He died last Thursday at the age of 91. Photo courtesy the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Ralph Kiner, a Hall of Fame slugger who was known to many a New Yorker as the voice of the Mets, died last Thursday at the age of 91.
Calling the former Pittsburgh Pirates star “one of the most beloved people in Mets history,” Mets Chairman and CEO Fred Wilpon went on to call Kiner “an original Met and extraordinary gentleman.”
“After a Hall of Fame playing career, Ralph became a treasured broadcasting icon for more than half a century,” Wilpon said in a statement. “His knowledge of the game, wit and charm entertained generations of Mets fans. Like his stories, he was one of a kind. We send our deepest condolences to Ralph’s five children and 12 grandchildren. Our sport and society…lost one of the all-time greats.”
Kiner spent much of his decade-long career in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but his tenure was cut short because of a back injury and he was forced to retire from playing at the age of 32.
During his 10-year career, Kiner hit 369 home runs, winning or sharing the National League home run title in each of his first seven seasons with the Pirates. He twice topped 50 homes runs, with 51 in 1947 and 54 in 1949. He averaged more than 100 RBI pers season.
He transitioned to the broadcast booth in 1962 and went on to become an icon for the Mets.
“As one of baseball’s most prolific power hitters for a decade, Ralph struck fear into the hearts of the best pitchers of baseball’s golden era, despite his easy-going nature, disarming humility and movie-star smile,” Jeff Idelson, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement. “His engaging personality and profound knowledge of the game turned him into a living room companion for millions of New Yorks Mets fans who adored his game broadcasts and later ‘Kiner’s Korner’ for more than half a century.”
Kiner’s sense of humor was beloved among his many fans, which the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum pointed out in a statement released after his death.
“Someone asked me how come I signed up with the Mets [as a broadcaster], since they weren’t going to win many games,” Kiner said. “I said: ‘I’ve got a lot of experience with losing.’”
By Anna Gustafson
