AHS Alumnus and MLB Star Ralph Kiner Passes Away at Age 91

KEVIN KONG
Sports Editor
KAYIU WONG
Staff Writer

On Feb. 6, National Baseball Hall of Fame 1975 Inductee Ralph Kiner passed away from natural causes in Rancho Mirage. Kiner, an AHS graduate, is known for his years in Major League Baseball (MLB), playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians for 10 years and calling New York Mets games for 52 years.

“With the passing of Ralph Kiner, the baseball world has lost one its greatest ambassadors. He was a man who truly loved our National Pastime and made it better in every way,” Chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Jane Forbes Clark, said, according to CBS Sports.

Born in Santa Rita, New Mexico on Oct. 27, 1922, Kiner moved to Alhambra as a child, attending AHS and serving on the baseball team as captain until he graduated in 1940. He was also a part of the Varsity Club, Quill and Scroll Club, Student Court, Latin Club, Spanish Club and College Preparatory Club. According to ABC News, Kiner served in World War II as a navy pilot and returned to the U.S. as a rookie signed to the Pirates.

According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Kiner had his MLB debut in 1946 and led the league in home-runs for seven seasons. He was traded to the Cubs in 1953. During his time on the field, Kiner appeared in the All-Star game six times, hit 369 homeruns and earned the sixth highest home-run ratio in MLB history.

Kiner’s professional career ended in 1955 after back problems cut his career short; however, he began broadcasting for the Mets in 1961. Kiner broadcasted for 52 years and became an icon known for his comedic stories, quirky sayings known as ‘Kinerisms’ and upbeat personality. Kiner, in addition to announcing games, held a post-game interview show called “Kiner’s Korner.” Kiner was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975 and his jersey was retired by the Pirates in 1987, according to the Washington Post. In addition, 1987, Kiner was one of the first athletes to be inducted into the Alhambra High School Hall of Fame.

“Our style of broadcasting is different from that of the new commentators. I prefer the old style of broadcasting in which you talk to the guy sitting next to you as if you were sitting together in the stands,” Kiner said to the New York Times in a 2004 interview.

Off the field, Kiner pursued other interests such as family and business. He married tennis player Nancy Chaffee in 1951, with whom he had three children with, and was later married to Barbara Ann Batchedlor and had two more children. According to the Alhambra Source, Kiner also opened his own sporting goods store in 1950 on Main Street with fellow AHS graduate and baseball player Max West named ‘Kiner and West Sporting Goods’ in 1950.

Six years ago, a statue was erected in Almansor Park by the Alhambra City Council to honor Kiner. According to Baseball Head Coach Steve Gewecke, there was a luncheon held to celebrate the statue’s completion and Kiner had even returned to take part in the festivities. Gewecke, like many others who had met Kiner, remembered him as a humble character.

“Being the baseball coach here is an honor itself because of all the great players we have had here. Meeting the greatest of them all though, it was amazing. [It was an] experience I will never forget,” Gewecke said.

Kiner is survived by his five children and 12 grandchildren. Regarded by many as one of the greatest sluggers in MLB history and a broadcasting legend, Kiner’s impact in the sports world and in Alhambra continues to thrive today.