Kiner, Ralph McP.
Baseball
b. Oct. 27, 1922, Santa Rita, NM
In a relatively brief career, Kiner hit a lot of home runs. He once told a sportswriter, "Singles hitters drive Fords and such. Home run hitters drive Cadillacs." After becoming the National League's first $100,000 player, he did drive a Cadillac.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound outfielder, who batted right-handed, joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1946 and led the league in home runs each of his first 7 seasons, with 23 in 1946, 51 in 1947, 40 in 1948, 54 in 1949, 47 in 1950, 42 in 1951, and 37 in 1952.
He also led in RBI with 127 in 1949; in runs with 124 in 1951; in walks with 117 in 1949, 137 in 1951, and 110 in 1952; and in slugging percentage with .639 in 1947, .658 in 1949, and .627 in 1951.
Kiner was traded to the Chicago Cubs during the 1953 season and he was forced to retire because of chronic back problems after playing for the AL's Cleveland Indians in 1955. His ratio of a home run for every 7.1 times at bat is second only to Babe Ruth's.
In 1,472 games, Kiner batted .279 with 1,451 hits, including 216 doubles, 39 triples, and 369 home runs. He had 1,015 RBI and scored 971 runs.