1944
Born October 8, 1944
Spokane, WA, USA
Ed Kirkpatrick Marquee
b. October 8, 1944 · Los Angeles Angels 1962–1964, California Angels 1965–1968, Kansas City Royals 1969–1973, Pittsburgh Pirates 1974–1977, Texas Rangers 1977, Milwaukee Brewers 1977
He hit 18 home runs and drove in 62 runs for Kansas City in 1970, his best season, having signed with the Angels as a bonus prospect at seventeen. Sixteen seasons gave him 824 hits, 143 doubles, 85 home runs, 411 runs batted in and a .238 average, playing 577 games in the outfield, 306 behind the plate and 149 at first base for six clubs.
In February 1981, four years after his final major-league game, he was struck by a car while walking near his Kansas City home and suffered severe brain damage that left him unable to speak or care for himself. Former teammates and the players' union helped support his care for nearly three decades.
He died in 2010, at sixty-six, having spent longer disabled from the accident than he had spent playing. No Hall of Fame ballot ever listed him.
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | LAA | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 |
| 1963 | LAA | 34 | 77 | 4 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 19 | 1 | .195 |
| 1964 | LAA | 75 | 219 | 20 | 53 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 23 | 30 | 2 | .242 |
| 1965 | CAL | 19 | 73 | 8 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 1 | .260 |
| 1966 | CAL | 117 | 312 | 31 | 60 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 44 | 51 | 67 | 7 | .192 |
| 1967 | CAL | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 |
| 1968 | CAL | 89 | 161 | 23 | 37 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 25 | 32 | 1 | .230 |
| 1969 | KCR | 120 | 315 | 40 | 81 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 49 | 43 | 42 | 3 | .257 |
| 1970 | KCR | 134 | 424 | 59 | 97 | 17 | 2 | 18 | 62 | 55 | 65 | 4 | .229 |
| 1971 | KCR | 120 | 365 | 46 | 80 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 46 | 48 | 60 | 3 | .219 |
| 1972 | KCR | 113 | 364 | 43 | 100 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 43 | 51 | 50 | 3 | .275 |
| 1973 | KCR | 126 | 429 | 61 | 113 | 24 | 3 | 6 | 45 | 46 | 48 | 3 | .263 |
| 1974 | PIT | 116 | 271 | 32 | 67 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 38 | 51 | 30 | 1 | .247 |
| 1975 | PIT | 89 | 144 | 15 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 1 | .236 |
| 1976 | PIT | 83 | 146 | 14 | 34 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 1 | .233 |
| 1977 | MIL/PIT/TEX | 70 | 153 | 15 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 22 | 25 | 3 | .222 |
| Career | — | 1311 | 3467 | 411 | 824 | 143 | 18 | 85 | 424 | 456 | 518 | 34 | .238 |
On this day & linked events
2010
Died November 15, 2010
1962
Major-league debut: Ed Kirkpatrick
Ed Kirkpatrick made a major-league debut on September 13, 1962.
1977
Final major-league game: Ed Kirkpatrick
Ed Kirkpatrick played a final major-league game on October 2, 1977.
Image: Pittsburgh Pirates / MLB, public domain