Kaat grew up in Zeeland, MI, a small Dutch community in Western Michigan. It was there that Jim’s dad instilled a great work ethic and a love for baseball in him. Known as “Little Jimmy” for his small stature, Kaat played high school baseball but received no athletic scholarships. Instead he enrolled in nearby Hope College where he paid his own way doing odd jobs. In 1957, Kaat would sign a free-agent contract with the Washington Senators and work his way through the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 1959. He would become a permanent member of the pitching staff with the organization once it moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins. Kaat would help lead the Twins to the 1965 American League pennant before falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers and ace Sandy Koufax in the World Series. Kaat led the AL in wins in 1966 and had a number of solid seasons before being waived by the Twins in 1973. Kaat would sign on with the Chicago White Sox in 1973 and have two 20-win seasons including 1975 when he finished 4th in the Cy Young Award voting. After stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees, Kaat would finish his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals where he finally won a World Series ring in 1982. In all, Kaat’s playing career spanned 4 decades and seven US presidents. It also included 283 wins, 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards and 3 All-Star appearances. After a brief time as pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds under former teammate Pete Rose, Kaat started an award-winning broadcast career that continues today with the MLB Network working alongside longtime friend and colleague Bob Costas. Kaat was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2001, will have his #36 Twins jersey retired this season and will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July. He shares these stories and more which are part of his new book, “Good As Gold: My 8 Decades in Baseball”. He also tells us about the call from the Hall of Fame, the toughest batter he faced and the current player who would fit in his era.
Негізгі бет Jim Kaat on Hall of Fame career and pitching against Koufax
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