Boyer, Kenton L.
Baseball
b. May 20, 1931, Liberty, MO
d. Sept. 7, 1982
A hard-hitting third baseman with power, Boyer was also a fine defensive player who led the NL in fielding average at the position in 1957 and 1964. He joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 1955 and hit 20 or more home runs 8 times in his first 10 seasons, with a high of 32 in 1960.
Boyer was named the league's most valuable player in 1964, when he batted .295 with 24 home runs and a league-leading 119 RBI to help lead the Cardinals into the World Series, where they defeated the New York Yankees in seven games. Boyer batted only .222 in the Series, but he hit a grand slam home run to beat the Yankees 4-3 in the fourth game and added another home run in a 7-5 victory in the final game.
He was traded to the New York Mets in 1966 and the Mets sent him to the AL's Chicago White Sox during the 1967 season. Early in the 1968 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Boyer. He retired after appearing in 25 games with the Dodgers in 1969.