Ken Boyer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ken Boyer
Third baseman / Manager
Born: (1931-05-20)May 20, 1931 Liberty, Missouri, U.S.
Died: September 7, 1982(1982-09-07) (aged 51) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
April 12, 1955, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last appearance
August 9, 1969, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.287
Hits	2,143
Home runs	282
Runs batted in	1,141
Managerial record	166–190
Winning %	.466
Teams
As player St. Louis Cardinals (1955–1965) New York Mets (1966–1967) Chicago White Sox (1967–1968) Los Angeles Dodgers (1968–1969) As manager St. Louis Cardinals (1978–1980)
Career highlights and awards
11× All-Star (1956, 1959–1964) World Series champion (1964) NL MVP (1964) 5× Gold Glove Award (1958–1961, 1963) NL RBI leader (1964) St. Louis Cardinals No. 14 retired St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame

Kenton Lloyd "Ken" Boyer (born May 20, 1931 – died September 7, 1982) was a famous American Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played as a third baseman for 15 seasons, from 1955 to 1969. Ken Boyer played for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Boyer was a true baseball star. He was chosen for the All-Star team seven times, making 11 All-Star appearances. He won the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and earned the Gold Glove Award five times for his excellent fielding.

In 1964, Ken Boyer was named the NL MVP. He helped lead the Cardinals to win the World Series title that year. He was known for hitting well, with a batting average over .300 in five seasons. He also hit more than 20 home runs in eight different seasons.

Ken Boyer was the second third baseman ever to hit 250 career home runs. He was also the only Cardinals player since 1900 to hit for the cycle twice. The Cardinals honored him by retiring his number 14 in 1984. In 2014, he was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Family Baseball

Ken Boyer was born in Liberty, Missouri. He grew up in Alba as one of 14 children. All seven of the Boyer boys played professional baseball. Two of his brothers also played in the major leagues. His older brother, Cloyd, was a pitcher for the Cardinals. His younger brother, Clete, was also a great third baseman. Clete played for the Kansas City Athletics, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves.

Ken Boyer's Baseball Journey

Ken Boyer signed with the Cardinals in 1949. He first played as a pitcher in the minor leagues. In 1949, he had a 5–1 record with a 3.42 earned run average (ERA). He also batted very well, hitting .455.

Because he was such a good hitter, the Cardinals decided to make him a third baseman. In 1951, he batted .306 for the Omaha Cardinals. Ken then served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953. When he returned in 1954, he hit .319 with 21 home runs. He also had 116 runs batted in (RBI) for the Houston Buffaloes.

Joining the Major Leagues

Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals

Boyer made his major league debut with the Cardinals on April 12, 1955. In his first game, he hit a two-run homer for his first hit. He finished his rookie season batting .264 with 62 RBI.

Boyer in 1955

In 1956, he was chosen for his first NL All-Star team. He batted .306 with 26 home runs and 98 RBI that year. He was known for his great defense at third base. In 1958, he won the first of his four straight Gold Gloves. He also scored 100 runs for the first time.

Ken became the Cardinals' team captain in 1959. He had a 29-game hitting streak that year, batting .350. He finished 10th in the MVP voting. From 1960 to 1961, Boyer led the Cardinals in batting average, home runs, runs, and RBI. He was named the NL's Player of the Month in September 1960.

On September 14, 1961, he hit for the cycle. This means he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game. His home run was a "walk-off" hit in the 11th inning, winning the game 6–5. This was the first time in MLB history someone completed a cycle with a walk-off home run.

Boyer had his best season in 1964. He batted .350 in May and .342 in July. On June 16, he became the 19th player in MLB history to hit for the cycle twice. The Cardinals were far behind in the standings in August. But they made an amazing comeback to win the NL pennant. Boyer batted .400 in September games against the Philadelphia Phillies.

In the 1964 World Series against the New York Yankees, Boyer hit a grand slam in Game 4. This helped the Cardinals win 4–3. In the final Game 7, he had three hits and scored three runs. The Cardinals won the World Series 7–5, their first title since 1946. His brother Clete also hit a home run in that game. This was the only time in World Series history that brothers homered in the same game.

Boyer won the National League MVP award in 1964. He hit .295 with 24 home runs and led the league with 119 RBI. He also received the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award for his character. After 11 years with the Cardinals, Boyer started having back problems in 1965.

Playing for the New York Mets

In October 1965, Boyer was traded to the New York Mets. Even though the Mets were a struggling team, he reached new milestones. On May 13, 1966, he scored his 1,000th career run. On May 10, 1967, he got his 2,000th career hit. On May 20, he hit his 300th career double.

Playing for the Chicago White Sox

On July 27, 1967, the Mets traded Boyer to the Chicago White Sox. He played for them for the rest of 1967 and a few games in 1968. The White Sox released him in May 1968.

Playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Boyer then signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 10, 1968. He played his 2,000th game on September 7. He returned to the Dodgers in 1969, mostly as a pinch hitter. He played his last game on August 9, 1969. Boyer decided to retire and become a coach.

Ken Boyer's Career Stats and Records

In his 15-year MLB career, Boyer had a .287 batting average. He collected 2,143 hits, 282 home runs, and 1,141 RBI. He also scored 1,104 runs. His 12 career walk-off hits for the Cardinals are a team record since 1950.

Ken Boyer's number 14 was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1984.

MLB Statistics

Here are Ken Boyer's main MLB stats:

Awards and Honors

Ken Boyer received many awards and honors during and after his career:

Other Recognitions

• The Sporting News' MLB Player of the Year (1964)
• Lou Gehrig Memorial Award (1964)
• His uniform number 14 was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals on May 20, 1984.
• Inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame (2012).
• Inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum (2014).

After Playing: Coaching and Managing

After retiring as a player, Ken Boyer became a manager in the Cardinals' minor league system. He managed teams like the Arkansas Travelers and the Tulsa Oilers. He helped develop future stars like Keith Hernandez and Garry Templeton.

In 1978, Boyer became the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. He managed the team for parts of three seasons. He finished with a record of 166 wins and 190 losses. He was scheduled to manage again in 1981, but lung cancer prevented him from taking the job.

Hall of Fame Consideration

Ken Boyer was considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame several times. He was on the ballot for the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) and later the Veterans Committee and Golden Era Committee. Even though many believed he deserved to be in the Hall of Fame, he never received enough votes.

Personal Life and Legacy

Ken Boyer married Kathleen Oliver in 1952. They had four children. His son, David, also played in the Cardinals' farm system.

Ken Boyer passed away from cancer in St. Louis on September 7, 1982, at age 51. He was buried in Friends Cemetery in Purcell, Missouri. He is remembered as one of the greatest third basemen in baseball history.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
• List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
• List of Gold Glove Award winners at third base
• List of Major League Baseball retired numbers
• List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
• List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
• List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
• List of St. Louis Cardinals team records
• List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches
• St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum

Images for kids

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  Ken Boyer's retired number 14 with the St. Louis Cardinals.