Kevin Kennedy (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Kevin Curtis Kennedy is a former manager
in American Major League Baseball
and a former television host for Fox Sports
' baseball coverage. He was given the nickname "The Skipper" by Fox Sports due to his prior managerial career. Kennedy joined the Tampa Bay Rays
broadcast team for the 2009 baseball season as a replacement for Joe Magrane
.
.
Kennedy was a career minor league
catcher
who played in the Baltimore Orioles
and Los Angeles Dodgers
farm systems. After a very successful career as a manager in the Dodger minor league organization, he briefly served as a player development official and then bench coach
for the Montreal Expos
.
for the 1993 season
after firing Bobby Valentine
and Toby Harrah
, who were used in the 1992 season
. Kennedy was let go following the strike-shortened 1994 season
after posting only a 52–62 record (even though, at the time of the strike, it was good enough for first place in the division) and was replaced by Johnny Oates
.
Just two weeks prior to the strike, on July 28, Kennedy managed Kenny Rogers' perfect game
against the California Angels
.
, Kennedy became the manager for the Boston Red Sox
(where he led them to their first postseason appearance since 1990 despite ultimately being swept by the Cleveland Indians
in the playoffs
), but was part of a merry-go-round of manager changes in Boston which also saw the firing of Joe Morgan
, Butch Hobson
and later Jimy Williams
, and Kennedy was fired following the 1996 season
.
as a color analyst on the network's Wednesday Night Baseball
telecasts, performing the same role on ESPN Radio's Sunday Night Baseball
in 1998 and on Fox Sports Net
's Thursday Night Baseball
in 1999 and 2000. From 2001 to 2008, he was a studio analyst for baseball on Fox, teaming with host Jeanne Zelasko
. He also contributed to Fox Sports Net's Best Damn Sports Show Period and hosted a radio program on FOX Sports Radio
, and was a regular co-host of Dodgers Live on Prime Ticket at this time.
Kevin is currently the co-host of "Power Alley" with Jim Duquette
on Sirius XM's MLB Network Radio on XM 175/Sirius 210 from 10 AM-2 PM EST.
In 2009 Kennedy took a job as a part-time television analyst for the Tampa Bay Rays, sharing the duty with former Rays pitcher Brian Anderson
. Kennedy and Anderson both replaced Joe Magrane
, who is now a part of the MLB Network
.
Kennedy returned to the Dodgers' postgame show for the 2009 postseason.
On April 24, 2010, Kennedy, along with multiple other passengers, subdued a passenger on a flight from Los Angeles to Florida who had sprayed the first class cabin with water and had made threats to destroy the aircraft.
In October 2010 it was announced that Kennedy would not be returning to the Rays' broadcast crew in the 2011 season.
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in American Major League Baseball
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...
and a former television host for Fox Sports
Fox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
' baseball coverage. He was given the nickname "The Skipper" by Fox Sports due to his prior managerial career. Kennedy joined the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
broadcast team for the 2009 baseball season as a replacement for Joe Magrane
Joe Magrane
Joseph David Magrane is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and is currently a color commentary broadcaster for the MLB Network. He was teamed with play-by-play announcer Dewayne Staats from 1998 to 2008 as part of the Tampa Bay Rays television team.Magrane served as an analyst for NBC Sports'...
.
Early life and career
Born in Los Angeles, Kevin Kennedy graduated from Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California in 1972. He was a classmate of Robin YountRobin Yount
Robin R. Yount is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop and center fielder. He spent his entire 20-year baseball career with the Milwaukee Brewers . In 1999, Yount was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.-Early years:Yount was born in Danville, Illinois...
.
Kennedy was a career minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
who played in 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...
and 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...
farm systems. After a very successful career as a manager in the Dodger minor league organization, he briefly served as a player development official and then bench coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
for the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
.
Texas Rangers
He then was hired to manage the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
for the 1993 season
1993 Texas Rangers season
The Texas Rangers 1993 season involved the Rangers finishing 2nd in the American League west with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses. Before the 1993 season, Nolan Ryan announced his retirement, effective at the end of that season.-Offseason:...
after firing 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...
and Toby Harrah
Toby Harrah
Colbert Dale Harrah is a former professional baseball player who played with the Texas Rangers both before and after their 1971 franchise shift before later being traded to the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees...
, who were used in the 1992 season
1992 Texas Rangers season
The 1992 Texas Rangers season saw the Rangers finishing fourth in the American League West with a record of 77 wins and 85 losses.-Offseason:* October 28, 1991: Steve Fireovid was signed as a free agent by the Rangers....
. Kennedy was let go following the strike-shortened 1994 season
1994 Texas Rangers season
The Texas Rangers season involved the Rangers finishing first in the American League West with a record of 52 wins and 62 losses. The season was cut short by the infamous 1994 player's strike.-Offseason:...
after posting only a 52–62 record (even though, at the time of the strike, it was good enough for first place in the division) and was replaced by Johnny Oates
Johnny Oates
Johnny Lane Oates was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees from 1970 to 1981...
.
Just two weeks prior to the strike, on July 28, Kennedy managed Kenny Rogers' perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
against the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
.
Boston Red Sox
For the 1995 season1995 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing 1st in the American League East with a record of 86 wins and 58 losses...
, Kennedy became the manager for the 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"...
(where he led them to their first postseason appearance since 1990 despite ultimately being swept by the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in the playoffs
1995 American League Division Series
-Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, Tuesday, October 3:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, OhioAfter a 39-minute rain delay, Game 1 got underway with two veterans, Roger Clemens and Dennis Martínez, starting the opener. The Red Sox jumped in front first in the third on John Valentin's two run...
), but was part of a merry-go-round of manager changes in Boston which also saw the firing of Joe Morgan
Joe Morgan (manager)
Joseph Michael Morgan is a retired American infielder, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
, Butch Hobson
Butch Hobson
Clell Lavern "Butch" Hobson, Jr. is a former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. Hobson played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels and New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed.After retiring, he managed the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Boston Red Sox...
and later Jimy Williams
Jimy Williams
James Francis "Jimy" Williams is an American former manager of three Major League Baseball teams. He was born in Santa Maria, California.-Playing career:...
, and Kennedy was fired following the 1996 season
1996 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing 3rd in the American League East with a record of 85 wins and 77 losses.-Offseason:...
.
Broadcasting career
In 1997 Kennedy joined ESPNESPN Major League Baseball
ESPN Major League Baseball is a promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD or ESPN2HD. ESPN's MLB coverage debuted on April 9, 1990 with three Opening Day telecasts. ESPN Major League Baseball is guaranteed to remain on air until 2013.The title is derived from...
as a color analyst on the network's Wednesday Night Baseball
Wednesday Night Baseball
Wednesday Night Baseball is a live game telecast of Major League Baseball that airs every Wednesday night during the regular season on ESPN and is also available in high definition on ESPNHD...
telecasts, performing the same role on ESPN Radio's Sunday Night Baseball
Sunday Night Baseball
Sunday Night Baseball is the Major League Baseball exclusive game of the week that is televised Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN during the regular season...
in 1998 and on Fox Sports Net
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
's Thursday Night Baseball
Thursday Night Baseball
Thursday Night Baseball is the title of a presentation of Major League Baseball on cable and satellite channel MLB Network, that premiered on April 9, 2009. Longtime NBC Sports broadcaster Bob Costas is one of the play-by-play voices of the broadcasts. Matt Vasgersian also does play-by-play on some...
in 1999 and 2000. From 2001 to 2008, he was a studio analyst for baseball on Fox, teaming with host Jeanne Zelasko
Jeanne Zelasko
Jeanne Zelasko is a journalist and sportscaster who took over as the pre-game host of Fox's MLB games in 2001 after the departure of Keith Olbermann until October 2008. She also covered pre-game for MLB 2K6, MLB 2K7, and MLB 2K8 alongside Steve Physioc...
. He also contributed to Fox Sports Net's Best Damn Sports Show Period and hosted a radio program on FOX Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
, and was a regular co-host of Dodgers Live on Prime Ticket at this time.
Kevin is currently the co-host of "Power Alley" with Jim Duquette
Jim Duquette
James "Jim" Duquette was the general manager of the New York Mets for the 2004 season, before the team replaced him with Omar Minaya. Duquette subsequently stayed with the Mets in a front office job for a full season before moving on to the Baltimore Orioles...
on Sirius XM's MLB Network Radio on XM 175/Sirius 210 from 10 AM-2 PM EST.
In 2009 Kennedy took a job as a part-time television analyst for the Tampa Bay Rays, sharing the duty with former Rays pitcher Brian Anderson
Brian Anderson (pitcher)
Brian James Anderson is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher, who played 13 season for five teams, as well as a sports broadcaster and coach. Currently, Anderson is the color commentator on the Rays TV crew on Sun Sports....
. Kennedy and Anderson both replaced Joe Magrane
Joe Magrane
Joseph David Magrane is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and is currently a color commentary broadcaster for the MLB Network. He was teamed with play-by-play announcer Dewayne Staats from 1998 to 2008 as part of the Tampa Bay Rays television team.Magrane served as an analyst for NBC Sports'...
, who is now a part of the MLB Network
MLB Network
MLB Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to professional baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share...
.
Kennedy returned to the Dodgers' postgame show for the 2009 postseason.
On April 24, 2010, Kennedy, along with multiple other passengers, subdued a passenger on a flight from Los Angeles to Florida who had sprayed the first class cabin with water and had made threats to destroy the aircraft.
In October 2010 it was announced that Kennedy would not be returning to the Rays' broadcast crew in the 2011 season.
Managerial records
| Team | |Regular Season | TEX 1993 Texas Rangers season The Texas Rangers 1993 season involved the Rangers finishing 2nd in the American League west with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses. Before the 1993 season, Nolan Ryan announced his retirement, effective at the end of that season.-Offseason:... |
1993 | 86 | 76 | .531 | 2nd in AL West | – | – | – | – |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX 1994 Texas Rangers season The Texas Rangers season involved the Rangers finishing first in the American League West with a record of 52 wins and 62 losses. The season was cut short by the infamous 1994 player's strike.-Offseason:... |
1994 | 52 | 62 | .456 | 1st in AL West | – | – | – | – | ||
| BOS 1995 Boston Red Sox season The Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing 1st in the American League East with a record of 86 wins and 58 losses... |
1995 | 86 | 58 | .597 | 1st in AL East | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost ALDS 1995 American League Division Series -Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, Tuesday, October 3:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, OhioAfter a 39-minute rain delay, Game 1 got underway with two veterans, Roger Clemens and Dennis Martínez, starting the opener. The Red Sox jumped in front first in the third on John Valentin's two run... 3–0 |
||
| BOS 1996 Boston Red Sox season The Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing 3rd in the American League East with a record of 85 wins and 77 losses.-Offseason:... |
1996 | 85 | 77 | .525 | 3rd in AL East | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 309 | 273 | .531 | – | 0 | 3 | .000 | – | |||
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com – managerial record