Willie Kirkland
Willie Kirkland | |
---|---|
Right fielder | |
Born: Siluria, Alabama, U.S. | February 17, 1934|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
Professional debut | |
MLB: April 15, 1958, for the San Francisco Giants | |
NPB: 1968, for the Hanshin Tigers | |
Last appearance | |
MLB: September 26, 1966, for the Washington Senators | |
NPB: 1973, for the Hanshin Tigers | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .240 |
Home runs | 148 |
Runs batted in | 509 |
NPB statistics | |
Batting average | .246 |
Home runs | 126 |
Runs batted in | 304 |
Teams | |
Willie Charles Kirkland (born February 17, 1934) is an American former
Baseball career
Kirkland signed with the
When Kirkland mustered out of the service in
But after the 1960 season, the Giants traded Kirkland to the Cleveland Indians with veteran pitcher Johnny Antonelli for outfielder Harvey Kuenn. Kirkland took over as the Indians' starting right-fielder in 1961, and led the team in homers (27) and runs batted in (95), hitting .259. But while Kirkland hit 21 homers for the 1962 Indians tied for second on the club, his batting average plummeted to .200. Then, in 1963, Kirkland shuttled between center field and right field, hitting only 15 homers while batting .230. He was traded to the Orioles during the off-season, where he batted .200 in 66 games and was sold to the second-division Senators in August. Kirkland spent the rest of his major-league career with Washington as a backup outfielder before he was assigned outright to the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League. Over his nine MLB seasons, Kirkland posted a .240 batting average with 148 home runs and 509 RBI. His 837 hits also included 134 doubles and 29 triples.
Kirkland's year in Hawaii began the last chapter of his pro career. He smashed 34 home runs for the 1967 Islanders, then began his career in Japanese baseball the following season. In his first season for Hanshin, Kirkland hit 37 homers and then 26 the following year. All told, he hit 126 long balls during his career in Japan.
Best seasons
- 1960: Collected double digits in doubles (21), triples (10), home runs (21) and stolen bases (12)
- 1961: Hit 27 home runs with 136 hits and 95 RBI in 146 games (all career-highs) with a three-homer game on July 9 against the Chicago White Sox; all came off right-hander Cal McLish.[3] Kirkland came up in the ninth with the game on the line and Cleveland manager Jimmy Dykes ordered him to bunt, which he successfully did.
References
- ^ Held, Rob (October 31, 1979). "Charlie Fox's Rox Packed Mighty Punch". St. Cloud Times. p. 20.
- ^ Retrosheet box score: 1958-04-15
- ^ Retrosheet box score: 1961-07-09 (2)
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
- Baseball Library