Darryl Kile
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Darryl Kile | |
|---|---|
| Starting Pitcher | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 8, 1991 for the Houston Astros | |
| Final game | |
| June 18, 2002 for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Career statistics | |
| Record | 133-119 |
| Earned run average | 4.12 |
| Strikeouts | 1668 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Darryl Andrew Kile (December 2, 1968 – June 22, 2002) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three National League teams, the last being the St. Louis Cardinals. In his first season for the Cardinals, he won 20 games in 2000 as the team reached the postseason for the first time in four years, and they again advanced to the playoffs in the next two seasons. Kile, known for his hard-breaking curveball, died at the age of 33 of coronary disease in Chicago, where he and the Cardinals were staying for a weekend series against the rival Chicago Cubs. He was the first active major league player to die during the regular season since the New York Yankees' Thurman Munson died in an aviation accident in 1979. The cause of death was attributed to a 90% blockage in two coronary arteries.
Darryl Kile was born in Garden Grove, California, and was selected by the Houston Astros in the 30th round of the 1987 major league draft. Having been successful with the Tucson Toros (the Astros' AAA club) in the Pacific Coast League, Kile entered the majors in 1991, going 7-11 in 22 starts. In his very first big league start, on April 8, Kile had a no-hitter going when he was lifted after six innings by manager Art Howe, who wanted to protect the 22-year-old rookie's arm. (Astro relief pitcher Curt Schilling gave up a single in the ninth inning to lose the no-hit bid.) Kile's breakthrough year came in 1993 when he went 15-8 with a 3.51 earned run average and made the All-Star team. On September 8 of that year, Kile finally got his no-hitter, blanking the New York Mets. He pitched seven seasons with the Astros, mostly as a starter. Another strong season was 1997, when he went 19-7, compiled a 2.57 ERA, made the All-Star team again, threw a career-high 255-2/3 innings, and pitched four shutouts. He finished fifth in voting for the NL Cy Young Award. Kile made his first postseason appearance in Game 1 of the 1997 National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, giving up only two hits but suffering a hard-luck 2-1 loss. Atlanta swept Houston in the best-of-five series.
In 1998 Kile signed with the Colorado Rockies as a free agent, but the thin air at Coors Field was detrimental for his overhand curveball, with which had previously been effective. After two seasons, in which he was a combined 21-30 and posted ERAs of 5.20 and 6.61, Kile was traded to the Cardinals. In his first season with St. Louis, Kile went 20-9, becoming the first Cardinal pitcher since John Tudor and Joaquin Andujar in 1985 to win twenty games in a season. He made his third All-Star team and again finished fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting. He won the first playoff victory of his career in Game 2 of the 2000 NLDS against Atlanta, but suffered two losses in the NL Championship Series, which the Cardinals lost to the Mets in five games.
Kile went 16-11 in 2001, and the Cardinals made the playoffs again, losing to the eventual world champion Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS. (Kile got a no-decision in his Game 3 start). Kile threw 227-1/3 innings and compiled a 3.09 ERA that season, despite having an injured shoulder which required surgery after the Cardinals were eliminated from the playoffs. He spent the offseason rehabbing and was ready for the start of the 2002 season. In twelve seasons as a major league pitcher, Kile never once went on the disabled list.
On June 18, Kile pitched in an interleague game against the Anaheim Angels, scattering six hits over seven and two-thirds innings, allowing one run. He exited the game in the eighth inning to a standing ovation. Kile and the Cardinals won the game, 7-2. The victory moved the St. Louis into first place in the NL's Central Division, a spot they would hold on to for the rest of the 2002 season. That same day, longtime Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck died.
On June 22, during pregame warmups for what would have been a day game against the Cubs, team personnel noted Kile's absence. Hotel staff entered Kile's room and discovered him in his bed, under the covers, dead of a heart attack at age 33. Cubs catcher Joe Girardi tearfully announced to the fans at Wrigley Field that the afternoon's game versus the Cardinals had been cancelled, though he did not announce that the cancellation was prompted by Darryl Kile's passing. Girardi gave the news at 3:37 p.m. EDT, broadcast nationally on Fox: "I thank you for your patience. We regret to inform you because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family, that the commissioner has cancelled the game today. Thank you.... Please be respectful. You will find out eventually what has happened, and I ask that you say a prayer for the St. Louis Cardinals' family." The Cardinals honored his memory by placing a small "DK 57" sign in the home bullpen (which was carried over to the new Busch Stadium) and by writing "DK 57" on their hats. The team also put chalk and markers in the Busch Stadium concourses so fans could write similar messages on their caps, which became trendy for Cards fans that summer. Later that season, when the Cardinals clinched the Central Division championship in a game against Kile's old team, the Astros, teammate Albert Pujols carried out Kile's #57 jersey, on a hanger, to the celebration on the field.
Career Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA |
| 133 | 119 | 359 | 331 | 28 | 9 | 0 | 2165.3 | 2135 | 992 | 214 | 918 | 1668 | 4.12 |
[edit] Further reading
- Bissinger, Buzz. Three Nights in August. 2005, Houghton Mifflin, 256 pages. ISBN-10: 0618405445. Contains a chapter about Darryl Kile and his death in 2002.
[edit] External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- BaseballLibrary - profile and career highlights
- ESPN: Cardinals' hurler Kile dead at 33
- CBS News: Kile Killed By Artery Blockage
- Transcript of press conference following Kile's death
- Box score for Kile's 1993 no-hitter
- Excerpt from Three Nights in August
- "Death and life at the ballpark", Salon.com, 24 June 2002
Categories: 1968 births | 2002 deaths | Major league pitchers | Houston Astros players | Colorado Rockies players | St. Louis Cardinals players | National League All-Stars | Major league players from California | Major League Baseball pitchers who have pitched a no-hitter | People from Orange County, California | Deaths from cardiovascular disease | Baseball players who died before retiring
