Jerry Kindall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jerry Kindall |
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Kindall in 1961
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| Second baseman | |||
| Born: May 27, 1935 St. Paul, Minnesota |
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| Died: December 24, 2017 (aged 82) Tucson, Arizona |
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| debut | |||
| July 1, 1956, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 2, 1965, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .213 | ||
| Home runs | 44 | ||
| Runs batted in | 198 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 2007 | ||
Jerry Kindall (born May 27, 1935 – died December 24, 2017) was an American baseball player and coach. He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine seasons. Jerry played for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and Minnesota Twins.
After his playing days, he became a very successful college baseball coach. He led the University of Arizona Wildcats team. Over 24 seasons (1973–1996), his teams won 860 games. They also won three College World Series championships. Kindall batted and threw with his right hand. He was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 175 pounds.
Kindall was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He graduated from Washington High School. In 1956, he helped his college team, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, win the NCAA Division I baseball championship. Twenty years later, he coached the Arizona Wildcats to a CWS win. This made him the first person to win CWS titles as both a player and a coach. He was also the last player to hit for the cycle in the CWS. Jerry Kindall was added to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
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Jerry Kindall's Early Life and College Baseball
Jerry Kindall was born on May 27, 1935, in St. Paul, Minnesota. His parents were Harold and Alfield Kindall. He went to Washington High School in St. Paul. In 1953, during his senior year, he was named the best player in the Minnesota High School Baseball Tournament.
After high school, he attended the University of Minnesota. He had a scholarship to play college basketball. But he also played baseball for Minnesota. In 1956, he was named an All-America player. That year, he had a great batting average of .381. He also hit 18 home runs and had 48 runs batted in. His team won the 1956 College World Series, beating the University of Arizona in the final game. In that tournament, Kindall hit for the cycle. This means he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game. He is the last person to do this in a College World Series.
Playing for the Chicago Cubs (1956–1961)
Starting His MLB Career (1956–1957)
After winning the College World Series in 1956, Kindall signed with the Chicago Cubs. He received a large signing bonus, about $50,000. At that time, a special rule meant that players who got big bonuses had to stay on the main team for two full seasons. This often meant they didn't play much at first.
Jerry was happy to sign because his family needed the money. He later said, "My dad was working two jobs... My mom was in a wheelchair... It was a handsome offer so I signed." He promised his parents he would finish his education. He took classes in the off-season and earned a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in physical education.
Kindall joined the Cubs on July 1, 1956. He made his first MLB appearance that day. He was a pinch runner in a game against the Milwaukee Braves. Some older players were not happy about him joining with a high salary. But others, like coach Pepper Martin, were kind to him.
His first time at bat came later. He struck out on three pitches against Roy Face of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his first year, he played 32 games. He batted .164 with no home runs or RBI. He played well defensively, especially when filling in at shortstop.
In 1957, Kindall played mostly at second base and third base. On July 5, he hit his first major league home run. It was a two-run shot against Bob Buhl of Milwaukee. He still struggled with hitting. In 72 games, he batted .160 with six home runs and 12 RBI.
Developing His Skills (1958–1960)
In 1958, a rule change allowed Kindall to play in the minor leagues. The Cubs sent him to the Fort Worth Cats to improve his hitting. Jerry was glad for the chance to play more often. His batting average improved to .229 with Fort Worth. He hit 16 home runs and had 65 RBI in 143 games. He also played three games for the Cubs that year.
In 1959, he returned to Fort Worth. He batted .236 in 153 games. Kindall said his manager, Lou Klein, helped him a lot.
Kindall had a good spring training in 1960. He started the season in the minor leagues but joined the Cubs in May. He played many games at second base. New manager Lou Boudreau helped him change his batting style. Kindall batted very well for a short time in June and July. But his hitting dropped off later. In 89 games with the Cubs, he batted .240 with two home runs and 23 RBI.
His Last Season with the Cubs (1961)
In 1961, Kindall played both shortstop and second base. He had four RBI in a game on June 4, including a three-run home run. He had another four-RBI game on August 14 with another three-run home run. His batting average was .242 by the end of the season. In 96 games, he had a career-high 22 doubles, nine home runs, and 44 RBI.
The Cubs had a talented young player, Ken Hubbs, coming up. This put Kindall's spot on the team at risk. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians on November 27, 1961. During his time with the Cubs, Kindall famously called Wrigley Field "the Friendly Confines."
Playing for the Cleveland Indians (1962–1964)
Kindall quickly became the everyday second baseman for the Cleveland Indians in 1962. A sportswriter called him a "defensive whiz." He helped make the infield stronger for Cleveland.
His best hitting moment came in June 1962. He had eight hits in a four-game series against the New York Yankees. On June 16, he hit a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. This turned a loss into a 10–9 victory. The next day, he hit another two-run home run. This helped Cleveland beat New York and take the lead in the American League.
Kindall played in a career-high 154 games in 1962. He set personal bests with 123 hits, 13 home runs, and 55 RBI. He was also a top defensive player, leading all AL second basemen in assists.
In 1963, Kindall started as a reserve player. But he ended up starting more than half of the Indians' games. He played both second base and shortstop. On July 14, he hit a walk-off home run in the 14th inning to win a game for Cleveland. In 86 games, he batted .205 with five home runs and 20 RBI.
In 1964, Kindall's playing time was limited. On June 11, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins. This was his "hometown" team.
Playing for the Minnesota Twins (1964–1965)
Kindall played in 62 games for the Minnesota Twins in 1964. He batted .148 with one home run and six RBI. In total for 1964, combining his time with Cleveland and Minnesota, he batted .183.
In 1965, Kindall helped the Twins win the pennant. He started 101 games at second base. However, he only hit .196 and had a hamstring injury. This limited his playing time late in the season. Another player, Frank Quilici, started playing more at second base.
In 125 games in 1965, Kindall had six home runs and 36 RBI. He did not play in the 1965 World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the series in seven games. Kindall said that Quilici was playing so well, there was no reason to take him out.
His leg injury continued to bother him in 1966. After spring training, the Twins released him. Kindall decided to look for work outside of baseball.
Jerry Kindall's Baseball Statistics
As a major league player, Jerry Kindall had 439 hits in 742 games. These included 83 doubles, nine triples, 44 home runs, and 198 RBI. His career batting average was .213. Even with a lower batting average, he had good power for a second baseman.
Kindall believed his low average was due to many strikeouts and constant changes to his batting stance. He said he was "a project every season." He had good success against pitcher Robin Roberts, hitting four home runs against him. Teammate Tommy John described Kindall as "a great-field, no-hit second baseman whose glove kept him in the lineup."
Coaching Career and Later Life
In 1966, Kindall was hired by his old college, the University of Minnesota. He became an assistant coach for the Golden Gophers until 1971.
In 1972, the University of Arizona was looking for a new head baseball coach. Kindall was one of the top choices. He was hired and officially became the head coach in 1973. It was interesting because the Arizona Wildcats were the team Kindall's Minnesota team beat in the 1956 College World Series.
Under Kindall, the Wildcats had an amazing record of 860 wins, 579 losses, and 7 ties. The 860 wins are the most by any coach in the team's history. His teams reached the College World Series five times. They won NCAA championships in 1976, 1980, and 1986. With the 1976 championship, Kindall became the first person to win a College World Series as both a player and a head coach.
He coached many future major league players. These included Terry Francona, Scott Erickson, Trevor Hoffman, J.T. Snow, and Craig Lefferts. Also, 34 of his players were named first-team All-Americans. Kindall said his success came from what he learned in professional baseball.
After retiring as a coach in 1996, Kindall worked as a broadcaster for the Wildcats until 2016. People enjoyed his storytelling and analysis. In 2004, the University of Arizona's baseball field was renamed Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium in his honor.
In 2007, he was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. He also joined the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He wrote a book called Baseball: Play the Winning Way.
Jerry Kindall's Personal Life
Jerry Kindall and his first wife, Georgia, had four children: Betsy, Doug, Bruce, and Martha. Georgia was diagnosed with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) in 1984. She passed away three years later in 1987. Kindall stopped teaching at the University of Arizona at that time, but he continued to coach baseball. In 1988, he met and married Diane, who had a daughter named Elise.
Kindall was known for his strong Christian faith. Teammate Tommy John became friends with Kindall and went to church with him. John said Kindall "always played hard and got the most out of his abilities, the kind of worker a youngster should emulate." The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) later named an award after Kindall. It is given each year to the player who best represents Jesus Christ on and off the field.
Jerry Kindall passed away on December 24, 2017, at the age of 82. He had suffered a major stroke a few days earlier.
