Dave Kingman
Encyclopedia
David Arthur Kingman nicknamed "Kong" and "Sky King", is a former Major League Baseball
left fielder
, first baseman
, third baseman
, and designated hitter
. The towering 6' 6" Kingman was one of the most feared sluggers of the 1970s and 1980s. His height and long-armed, sweeping swing were sufficient to propel a baseball a very long distance when he connected solidly. It was said of him that he was one of those players that when he came to bat, everyone in the park stopped whatever they were doing to watch him. He hit plenty of home run
s, and he could hit them farther than many had ever seen, once over 530 feet.
His free-swinging, however, cut both ways, as he was also apt to strike out
frequently, and usually posted a low batting average
and on-base percentage, often leading the league in outs made. His 1,816 strikeouts was the fourth-highest total in MLB history at the time of his retirement. He currently ranks tenth.
, Kingman was drafted by the California Angels out of high school in the second round of the 1967 Major League Baseball Draft
, and by the Baltimore Orioles
in the first round of the 1968 draft
, but chose, instead, to play baseball
at the University of Southern California
under legendary coach Rod Dedeaux
. Kingman began as a pitcher
before being converted to an outfielder
. In , he was named an All-American and led the Trojans to the College World Series
championship. He was selected by the San Francisco Giants
with the first pick of the secondary phase draft.
with the San Francisco Giants. He made his major league debut on July 30, , pinch running
for Willie McCovey
, and finishing the game at first base. In his next two games, he showed some of the power that would make him one of the most feared sluggers of his era, hitting a home run in his next game, and slugging two more a day later.
On April 16, , the second day of the season, Kingman hit for the cycle in the Giants' 10-6 victory over the Houston Astros
. A day earlier, he made his debut at third base, a position he would play off and on for the remainder of his Giants career. Kingman also made his major league debut on the mound with the Giants, pitching two innings of "mop up duty" on an 11-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds
on April 15, . He pitched again in the mop up role on May 13 in a 15-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers
. In both games, he pitched the final two innings and gave up two earned runs.
In , he committed twelve errors
in 59 chances at third, and lost his starting job to Steve Ontiveros. Following the season, the Giants sold him to the New York Mets
.
and kept him at his two primary positions. He emerged as a slugger upon his arrival in New York
, setting a club record with 36 home runs in . However, he also scored 65 runs
, the highest percentage of runs scored on homers for anyone that hit more than 30 in a season. A year later, he broke his own record with 37 homers, and was elected to start in right field for the 1976
National League
All-Star
team.
Facing the Chicago Cubs
at Wrigley Field
on April 14, , Kingman hit what is likely the longest home run of his career, and believed to be the longest in the history of the Cubs ballpark. There is a street called Kenmore Avenue that T's into Waveland Avenue behind left-center field. Kenmore is lined with houses, and the ball Kingman launched landed on the third porch roof on the east side of Kenmore, a shot estimated at 550 feet. Despite Kingman's titanic shot, the Cubs beat the Mets 6-5.
The best game of Kingman's Mets career occurred on June 4, when he hit three home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Mets' 11-0 victory (the first of five times Kingman accomplished this feat in his major league career).
for minor league pitcher Paul Siebert
and Bobby Valentine
; Tom Seaver
was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Pat Zachry
, Doug Flynn
, Steve Henderson
and Dan Norman
; and Mike Phillips
was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals
for Joel Youngblood
. Kingman also did not pan out with the Padres, being waived by the team on September 6 and claimed by the California Angels. On September 15, Kingman became one of only a handful of players to play for four major league teams in the same season when he was traded to the Mets' crosstown rivals, the Yankees, for Randy Stein
and cash.(See July 30, 2004 in baseball) Although Kingman's four home runs in eight games helped propel the Yankees into the post-season over the second place Boston Red Sox
and Baltimore Orioles
, he could not participate in the team's push to a World Series crown as he was added to the roster after the July 31 cutoff date.
on May 14, , when he again hit three home runs against the Dodgers, including a three run shot in the top of the 15th inning that gave the Cubs a 10-7 victory. Eight of the Cubs' ten runs were driven in by Kingman. Following the game, radio reporter Paul Olden (now the public address announcer at Yankee Stadium
) asked Dodgers' manager Tommy Lasorda
his opinion of Kingman's performance that day, inspiring an oft-replayed (and censored) obscenity laced tirade.
The best season of Kingman's career came with the Cubs in , when he batted an impressive .288 with a National League-leading 48 homers, as well as 115 runs batted in (second to San Diego's Dave Winfield
's 118) and 97 runs scored. He hit three home runs in a game twice that season, both coming in Cubs losses. The first was a memorable slugging duel with Mike Schmidt
; Kingman hit three home runs and drove in 6 while Schmidt hit two in the game, with Schmidt delivering the killing blow in the top of the tenth inning to give the Phillies a 23-22 victory. The second three homer game for Kingman that year came against his former team on July 28 at Shea Stadium
in a 6-4 loss to the Mets.
His .613 slugging percentage was almost 50 points higher than that of his next closest National League competition, Mike Schmidt. Kingman finished eleventh in NL MVP balloting that year despite leading the league in strikeouts for the first time in his career (131).
In , Kingman's enigmatic personality (which former Mets teammate John Stearns
once compared to a tree trunk) began to assert itself, as he dumped ice water on a reporter's head during Spring training
. Kingman claimed he was often misquoted, and he began appearing regularly in the Chicago Tribune
, as the nominal author of a ghost-written column. Mike Royko
, then writing for the rival Chicago Sun-Times
, parodied Kingman's column with a series said to be written by "Dave Dingdong." Kingman eventually quarreled with his own ghostwriter. The series came to an end, and so did Kingman's days with the Cubs.
was named chairman of the board while minority shareholder Fred Wilpon
took the role of club president. On February 28, , eager to make right with a fan base that had become disenchanted with the team, the Mets reacquired Kingman from the Cubs for Steve Henderson and cash. In separate deals, the new organization also reacquired Rusty Staub
, and two seasons later, Tom Seaver.
Kingman primarily played first base upon his return to the Mets in 1981, and exclusively there his second season back in New York. In , he tied his own Mets' single-season home run record, but also batted just .204, the lowest batting average ever recorded for a first baseman with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. Leading the league in home runs that year, it is also the lowest batting average for any season's home run leader. Additionally, he accomplished the dubious feat of leading the league in home runs while having a lower batting average than the Cy Young Award
winner, (Steve Carlton
, .218).
Kingman led the NL in strike outs both of his first two seasons in New York (105 in 1981 & 156 in 1982). On June 15, , the sixth anniversary of the Midnight Massacre, the Mets acquired first baseman Keith Hernandez
from the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers Neil Allen
and Rick Ownbey
. Kingman remained with the team for the remainder of the season in a limited role. He was released at the end of the season, and signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics
.
. Always an awkward defensive player, he made just nine appearances at first base in , and was the A's regular designated hitter
the remainder of the time. For the season, Kingman hit 35 home runs and drove in 118 runs to be named the American League
's Comeback Player of the Year, and finish 13th in MVP balloting.
In three seasons as a DH in Oakland, he collected at least 30 home runs and 90 RBIs in each of those years. He also had two remarkable at-bats in this period which did not result in home runs, but nonetheless added to his legend: in the Metrodome
at Minnesota
, on May 4, 1984, he hit a pop-up that flew into a hole in the roof and got stuck for a ground rule double
. In a game in Seattle on April 11, , he hit a tremendous drive to left field which struck a speaker hanging from the roof of the Kingdome, bounced back and was caught.
Lifetime walks-to-strikeout ratio: 0.335 (608-1816)
While impressively belting out more than 400 home runs in his career, he was never a serious candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame. In his first year of eligibility, , he appeared on just three ballots, disqualifying him from future BBWAA voting. He was the first player to hit 400 or more home runs without being eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
, first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
, third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
, and designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
. The towering 6' 6" Kingman was one of the most feared sluggers of the 1970s and 1980s. His height and long-armed, sweeping swing were sufficient to propel a baseball a very long distance when he connected solidly. It was said of him that he was one of those players that when he came to bat, everyone in the park stopped whatever they were doing to watch him. He hit plenty of home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, and he could hit them farther than many had ever seen, once over 530 feet.
His free-swinging, however, cut both ways, as he was also apt to strike out
Strike Out
Strike Out, , North American Harness racing championStrike Out was born in 1969 at Castleton Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and is by Bret Hanover out of the mare Golden Miss....
frequently, and usually posted a low batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and on-base percentage, often leading the league in outs made. His 1,816 strikeouts was the fourth-highest total in MLB history at the time of his retirement. He currently ranks tenth.
USC Trojans
Born in in Pendleton, OregonPendleton, Oregon
Pendleton is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Pendleton was named in 1868 by the county commissioners for George H. Pendleton, Democratic candidate for Vice-President in the 1864 presidential campaign. The population was 16,612 at the 2010 census...
, Kingman was drafted by the California Angels out of high school in the second round of the 1967 Major League Baseball Draft
1967 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1967 Major League Baseball draft.- Background :The June draft was filled with talented prospects who would go on to pro careers...
, and by the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in the first round of the 1968 draft
1968 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1968 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :The Los Angeles Dodgers laid the groundwork for their championship clubs of the 1970s with an outstanding draft...
, but chose, instead, to play baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
under legendary coach Rod Dedeaux
Rod Dedeaux
Raoul Martial "Rod" Dedeaux was an American college baseball coach who compiled what is arguably the greatest record of any coach in the sport's amateur history....
. Kingman began as a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
before being converted to an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. In , he was named an All-American and led the Trojans to the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
championship. He was selected by the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
with the first pick of the secondary phase draft.
San Francisco Giants
Kingman came up as an outfielder and first basemanFirst baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
with the San Francisco Giants. He made his major league debut on July 30, , pinch running
Pinch runner
A pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted...
for Willie McCovey
Willie McCovey
Willie Lee McCovey , nicknamed "Mac", "Big Mac", and "Stretch", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played nineteen seasons for the San Francisco Giants, and three more for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics, between and...
, and finishing the game at first base. In his next two games, he showed some of the power that would make him one of the most feared sluggers of his era, hitting a home run in his next game, and slugging two more a day later.
On April 16, , the second day of the season, Kingman hit for the cycle in the Giants' 10-6 victory over the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
. A day earlier, he made his debut at third base, a position he would play off and on for the remainder of his Giants career. Kingman also made his major league debut on the mound with the Giants, pitching two innings of "mop up duty" on an 11-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
on April 15, . He pitched again in the mop up role on May 13 in a 15-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. In both games, he pitched the final two innings and gave up two earned runs.
In , he committed twelve errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
in 59 chances at third, and lost his starting job to Steve Ontiveros. Following the season, the Giants sold him to the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
.
New York Mets
Kingman did play twelve games at third with the Mets; however, the Mets essentially abandoned the idea of Kingman as a third basemanThird baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
and kept him at his two primary positions. He emerged as a slugger upon his arrival in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, setting a club record with 36 home runs in . However, he also scored 65 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
, the highest percentage of runs scored on homers for anyone that hit more than 30 in a season. A year later, he broke his own record with 37 homers, and was elected to start in right field for the 1976
1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 47th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 13, 1976 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home of...
National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team.
Facing the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
on April 14, , Kingman hit what is likely the longest home run of his career, and believed to be the longest in the history of the Cubs ballpark. There is a street called Kenmore Avenue that T's into Waveland Avenue behind left-center field. Kenmore is lined with houses, and the ball Kingman launched landed on the third porch roof on the east side of Kenmore, a shot estimated at 550 feet. Despite Kingman's titanic shot, the Cubs beat the Mets 6-5.
The best game of Kingman's Mets career occurred on June 4, when he hit three home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Mets' 11-0 victory (the first of five times Kingman accomplished this feat in his major league career).
1977 season
Kingman was batting only .209 with nine home runs when he became one of the three players traded in the infamous "Midnight Massacre" in New York. On June 15, , the Mets traded Kingman to the San Diego PadresSan Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
for minor league pitcher Paul Siebert
Paul Siebert
Paul Edward Siebert is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched parts of five seasons in the majors, from until . Paul's father was former major league first baseman Dick Siebert....
and Bobby Valentine
Bobby Valentine
Robert John "Bobby V" Valentine is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox. He previously managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan...
; Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver , nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched from 1967-1986 for four different teams in his career, but is noted primarily for his time with the New York Mets...
was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Pat Zachry
Pat Zachry
Patrick Paul Zachry is a former Major League baseball pitcher who had a ten year career from to .-Cincinnati Reds:...
, Doug Flynn
Doug Flynn
Robert Douglas Flynn Jr. is a former Major League Baseball infielder from -. He is best remembered for being one of the players the New York Mets acquired in the infamous "Midnight Massacre."-Cincinnati Reds:...
, Steve Henderson
Steve Henderson
Steven Curtis Henderson is a former Major League Baseball left fielder who is best remembered for being one of the players the New York Mets acquired in the infamous "Midnight Massacre."-Cincinnati Reds:...
and Dan Norman
Dan Norman
Daniel Edmund Norman is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets and Montreal Expos...
; and Mike Phillips
Mike Phillips (baseball)
Michael Dwaine Phillips , is a veteran of professional baseball who played shortstop, second base, and third base in the majors from 1973-1983. The first-round draft choice of the San Francisco Giants in 1969, he saw action for the Giants, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and...
was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
for Joel Youngblood
Joel Youngblood
Joel Randolph Youngblood III is a former Major League Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants from to . Youngblood was a versatile player who could play many different positions, as well as pinch hit...
. Kingman also did not pan out with the Padres, being waived by the team on September 6 and claimed by the California Angels. On September 15, Kingman became one of only a handful of players to play for four major league teams in the same season when he was traded to the Mets' crosstown rivals, the Yankees, for Randy Stein
Randy Stein
William Randolph Stein is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched parts of four seasons in the majors, between and , for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago Cubs.-Sources:...
and cash.(See July 30, 2004 in baseball) Although Kingman's four home runs in eight games helped propel the Yankees into the post-season over the second place Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
and Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, he could not participate in the team's push to a World Series crown as he was added to the roster after the July 31 cutoff date.
Chicago Cubs
Following the season, Kingman signed as a free agent with the Chicago Cubs. One of Kingman's career days at the plate occurred in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on May 14, , when he again hit three home runs against the Dodgers, including a three run shot in the top of the 15th inning that gave the Cubs a 10-7 victory. Eight of the Cubs' ten runs were driven in by Kingman. Following the game, radio reporter Paul Olden (now the public address announcer at Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
) asked Dodgers' manager Tommy Lasorda
Tommy Lasorda
Thomas Charles Lasorda is a former Major League baseball player and manager. marked his sixth decade in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest non-continuous tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully...
his opinion of Kingman's performance that day, inspiring an oft-replayed (and censored) obscenity laced tirade.
The best season of Kingman's career came with the Cubs in , when he batted an impressive .288 with a National League-leading 48 homers, as well as 115 runs batted in (second to San Diego's Dave Winfield
Dave Winfield
David Mark Winfield is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor of the San Diego Padres and an analyst for the ESPN program Baseball Tonight...
's 118) and 97 runs scored. He hit three home runs in a game twice that season, both coming in Cubs losses. The first was a memorable slugging duel with Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
; Kingman hit three home runs and drove in 6 while Schmidt hit two in the game, with Schmidt delivering the killing blow in the top of the tenth inning to give the Phillies a 23-22 victory. The second three homer game for Kingman that year came against his former team on July 28 at Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
in a 6-4 loss to the Mets.
His .613 slugging percentage was almost 50 points higher than that of his next closest National League competition, Mike Schmidt. Kingman finished eleventh in NL MVP balloting that year despite leading the league in strikeouts for the first time in his career (131).
In , Kingman's enigmatic personality (which former Mets teammate John Stearns
John Stearns
John Hardin Stearns is a former major league catcher who played for the New York Mets from to , and played a single game for the Philadelphia Phillies in ....
once compared to a tree trunk) began to assert itself, as he dumped ice water on a reporter's head during Spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
. Kingman claimed he was often misquoted, and he began appearing regularly in the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, as the nominal author of a ghost-written column. Mike Royko
Mike Royko
Michael "Mike" Royko was a newspaper columnist in Chicago, who won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for commentary...
, then writing for the rival Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, parodied Kingman's column with a series said to be written by "Dave Dingdong." Kingman eventually quarreled with his own ghostwriter. The series came to an end, and so did Kingman's days with the Cubs.
Return to New York
In January 1980, the Payson heirs sold the Mets franchise to the Doubleday publishing company for $21.1 million. Nelson Doubleday, Jr.Nelson Doubleday, Jr.
Nelson Doubleday, Jr. was the president of Doubleday. He was instrumental in the company's purchase of the New York Mets in 1980. He served as chairman of the Mets' board during the team's rise to its 1986 World Series title. In 1986, he and Fred Wilpon bought the team from the publishing company...
was named chairman of the board while minority shareholder Fred Wilpon
Fred Wilpon
Fred Wilpon is a real estate developer, baseball executive and the majority owner of the New York Mets.-Biography:...
took the role of club president. On February 28, , eager to make right with a fan base that had become disenchanted with the team, the Mets reacquired Kingman from the Cubs for Steve Henderson and cash. In separate deals, the new organization also reacquired Rusty Staub
Rusty Staub
Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder, designated hitter, and first baseman. He enjoyed a 23-year baseball career with 5 different teams...
, and two seasons later, Tom Seaver.
Kingman primarily played first base upon his return to the Mets in 1981, and exclusively there his second season back in New York. In , he tied his own Mets' single-season home run record, but also batted just .204, the lowest batting average ever recorded for a first baseman with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. Leading the league in home runs that year, it is also the lowest batting average for any season's home run leader. Additionally, he accomplished the dubious feat of leading the league in home runs while having a lower batting average than the Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
winner, (Steve Carlton
Steve Carlton
Steven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards...
, .218).
Kingman led the NL in strike outs both of his first two seasons in New York (105 in 1981 & 156 in 1982). On June 15, , the sixth anniversary of the Midnight Massacre, the Mets acquired first baseman Keith Hernandez
Keith Hernandez
Keith Barlow Hernandez is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He is currently a baseball analyst working for the New York Mets, for whom he played from –, on SportsNet New York and WPIX television broadcasts...
from the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers Neil Allen
Neil Allen
Neil Patrick Allen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher currently serving as pitching coach for the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Durham Bulls.-New York Mets:...
and Rick Ownbey
Rick Ownbey
Richard Wayne Ownbey is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played in parts of four seasons in the majors, between and , for the New York Mets and St...
. Kingman remained with the team for the remainder of the season in a limited role. He was released at the end of the season, and signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
.
Oakland A's
On April 16, 1984, Kingman collected his fifth and final 3-homer game, in a 9-6 win over the Seattle MarinersSeattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
. Always an awkward defensive player, he made just nine appearances at first base in , and was the A's regular designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
the remainder of the time. For the season, Kingman hit 35 home runs and drove in 118 runs to be named the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
's Comeback Player of the Year, and finish 13th in MVP balloting.
In three seasons as a DH in Oakland, he collected at least 30 home runs and 90 RBIs in each of those years. He also had two remarkable at-bats in this period which did not result in home runs, but nonetheless added to his legend: in the Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
at Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, on May 4, 1984, he hit a pop-up that flew into a hole in the roof and got stuck for a ground rule double
Ground rule double
In baseball, a ground rule double is an award of two bases from the time of pitch to all baserunners including the batter-runner as a result of the ball leaving play after being hit fairly and leaving the field under a condition of the ground rules in effect at the field where the game is being...
. In a game in Seattle on April 11, , he hit a tremendous drive to left field which struck a speaker hanging from the roof of the Kingdome, bounced back and was caught.
Controversy
During his final year in Oakland in 1986, Kingman sent a live rat wrapped in a pink box to Sue Fornoff, a sportswriter for the Sacramento Bee newspaper. The rat had a tag attached to it that read, "My name is Sue." Fornoff claimed that Kingman had told her that women do not belong in the clubhouse, and that he harassed her several times since she began covering the team the year before. For his part, Kingman claimed it was practical joke. The A's fined Kingman $3,500 and warned that he would be released if a similar incident occurred again.Lifetime walks-to-strikeout ratio: 0.335 (608-1816)
Hall of Fame candidacy
Kingman signed with the San Francisco Giants during the season. After twenty minor league games in which he batted .203, he retired.While impressively belting out more than 400 home runs in his career, he was never a serious candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame. In his first year of eligibility, , he appeared on just three ballots, disqualifying him from future BBWAA voting. He was the first player to hit 400 or more home runs without being eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame.
See also
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- Hitting for the cycleHitting for the cycleIn baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions
External links
- Dave Kingman at RetrosheetRetrosheetRetrosheet is a non-profit organization whose website features major league baseball box scores and play-by-play narratives for almost every contest from 1871–1872, 1874, 1911 NL, and 1918–2010...
- Dave Kingman at Baseball Almanac
- DaveKingman.com (under construction)
- The Dave Kingman Award
- Dave Kingman at the Ultimate Mets Database