Born June 26, 1974
San Diego, CA, USA
On July 4, 1999, running out a bunt at Three Rivers Stadium, his right ankle dislocated when his spikes caught the bag; the local broadcast did not replay it. He was hitting .332 at the time. He came back the following April and caught 152 games.
Fifteen seasons gave him 2,195 hits, 394 doubles, 189 stolen bases and a .288 average, with three All-Star selections, and 254 hit-by-pitches, which is fifth in the game's history. He caught 2,025 games, sixth all-time, and led his league in games caught six times.
Nine of the seasons were in Pittsburgh, where he was the best player on clubs that never finished above fourth. His father Fred caught twelve seasons in the major leagues. The 2016 ballot gave him two votes of 440.
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 3 | 1996, 1998, 2000 |
| Player of the Week | 1 | 1998 |
| The Sporting News Rookie Player of the Year | 1 | 1996 |
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | PIT | 130 | 414 | 54 | 124 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 42 | 35 | 30 | 5 | .300 |
| 1997 | PIT | 144 | 486 | 71 | 143 | 36 | 4 | 8 | 49 | 49 | 53 | 18 | .294 |
| 1998 | PIT | 149 | 535 | 95 | 175 | 36 | 3 | 12 | 75 | 51 | 51 | 26 | .327 |
| 1999 | PIT | 78 | 280 | 61 | 93 | 20 | 3 | 8 | 41 | 38 | 32 | 22 | .332 |
| 2000 | PIT | 152 | 579 | 112 | 185 | 33 | 6 | 14 | 58 | 79 | 79 | 22 | .320 |
| 2001 | PIT | 157 | 606 | 84 | 161 | 22 | 2 | 10 | 53 | 44 | 48 | 13 | .266 |
| 2002 | PIT | 145 | 545 | 59 | 154 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 44 | 49 | 29 | 15 | .283 |
| 2003 | PIT | 150 | 587 | 84 | 191 | 29 | 3 | 6 | 58 | 49 | 40 | 8 | .325 |
| 2004 | PIT | 147 | 574 | 86 | 183 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 51 | 60 | 41 | 11 | .319 |
| 2005 | OAK | 150 | 601 | 70 | 163 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 50 | 39 | 8 | .271 |
| 2006 | OAK | 143 | 552 | 76 | 163 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 53 | 54 | 11 | .295 |
| 2007 | CHC/OAK | 137 | 466 | 45 | 113 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 41 | 31 | 42 | 3 | .242 |
| 2008 | MIL | 151 | 516 | 46 | 127 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 49 | 50 | 45 | 8 | .246 |
| 2009 | MIL | 134 | 452 | 48 | 109 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 46 | 58 | 7 | .241 |
| 2010 | KCR | 118 | 434 | 39 | 111 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 37 | 45 | 12 | .256 |
| Career | — | 2085 | 7627 | 1030 | 2195 | 394 | 35 | 75 | 744 | 721 | 686 | 189 | .288 |
San Diego, CA, USA
Jason Kendall made a major-league debut on April 1, 1996.
Jason Kendall hit for the cycle for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 19, 2000.
Jason Kendall played a final major-league game on August 30, 2010.