Books and articles about Jim Kaat

The square-shouldered, 6'4" Kaat is one of a handful of major leaguers to play in four decades. His 25 years of pitching was a major league record. The last active original Washington Senator, Kaat moved like a cat around the mound, winning 16 consecutive Gold Gloves. He won 18 games for the AL champion Twins in 1965, then had his best season in 1966, going 25-13 and leading the league with 41 starts, 19 complete games, and 304 innings. That year only one Cy Young trophy was awarded for both leagues, to the Dodgers' Sandy Koufax, but TSN selected Kaat as AL Pitcher of the Year.

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Following five more seasons with victories in double figures, Kaat was 10-2 in 1972 when he sprained his left wrist and missed the remainder of the season. He was 11-12 in August 1973 (including a one-hitter at California on July 1) when, thinking Kaat's best days were behind him, the Twins sold him to the White Sox. In Chicago, Kaat was reunited with his former Minnesota pitching coach and mentor, Johnny Sain. In his two full seasons in the Chicago stable, Kaat won 41 games, often using a quick-pitch delivery.

Despite his 20-14 record with over 300 innings pitched in 1975, Kaat, age thirty-seven, was sent to the Phillies in a trade for Alan Bannister, Dick Ruthven, and Roy Thomas, the oldest of whom was twenty-four. In his first tour of duty in the NL, Kaat was 26-30 in three seasons. In May 1979, he was sold to the Yankees and, for the first time, relieved in more games than he started. He spent most of his final':(((four ML years working out of the bullpen, and pitched in relief in four games of the 1982 World Series for St. Louis against Milwaukee.

A good all-around athlete, Kaat also hit 16 homers in his career, with a .185 lifetime batting average. He stands as the Twins' all-time winningest pitcher, with 189 victories. After retiring as a player, he was the Reds' pitching coach in 1986. He has also worked as a TV announcer for the Yankees. (RM)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 28, 1960: Casey Stengel is hospitalized with a virus and high fever and will miss 13 games. New York goes 7-6 under interim manager Ralph Houk. Today the Yanks top the Senators, 5–1, behind Jim Coates' 5th straight win. The game is scoreless until Mickey Mantle cracks a 5th inning opposite field homer off Jim Kaat, who then walks three, hits two batters, and a serves up a Gil McDougald 2-run triple good for three runs. Later Mantle homers again, and Roger Maris, leading the American League, also homers, the first time the two have hit round trippers together in a game. » August 30, 1961: Mickey Mantle connects for #47, off the Twins Jim Kaat, as the Yanks win, 4–0. He'll hit #48 tomorrow, off Jack Kralick, in the Twins, 4–3 win. » September 24, 1961: Minnesota's Joe Altobelli hits a one out 7th inning homer, the only hit off Washington's Dick Donovan, who wins, 4–1. Jim Kaat loses his 16th. » May 4, 1963: The Yankees edge the Twins, 3–2, beating Jim Kaat on three solo homers. Elston Howard hits two, and Mickey Mantle adds one. » July 23, 1964: A's rookie Bert Campaneris sends Minnesota to defeat 4–3 with two home runs in his ML debut. The first comes on the first pitch thrown to him, by Jim Kaat, just the 2nd American League player to debut like that. And the 21-year-old Cuban joins Bob Nieman as the only player since 1900 with two home runs in his first ML game. » September 25, 1964: Dean Chance beats the Twins' Jim Kaat 1–0 to become the Angels first 20-game winner. Chance's five 1–0 wins in 1964 ties the major-league record held by four pitchers (Reb Russell; W. Johnson; Bush; Hubbell). » April 12, 1965: In Minnesota, the Yankees drop their second straight 11th inning opener, as the Twins win 5–4. Twins starter Jim Kaat, stranded because of the ice and snow, is brought to Metropolitan Stadium by helicopter. Kaat is matched by Jim Bouton, who goes five innings, giving up two earned runs. Bob Allison's wind-blown fly ball in the 11th drops untouched for a three-base error by Hector Lopez, one of eight errors the two teams combine for. Cesar Tovar's 2-out single scores the winner off Pedro Ramos. » August 10, 1965: At New York, Jim Kaat benefits from sloppy Yankee fielding and Minnesota scores six unearned runs to beat the Yankees, 7–3. » September 26, 1965: Minnesota gains its first American League pennant by defeating Washington 2–1. Jim Kaat (17-11) wins the clincher. » October 7, 1965: Jim Kaat gives Minnesota a 2-0 World Series lead by driving in two runs, defeating Sandy Koufax 5–1 at Metropolitan Stadium. » July 25, 1967: At Yankee Stadium, American League home run leader Harmon Killebrew gives the Twins a 1–0 lead with a 1st inning homer off Al Downing. Jim Kaat holds New York scoreless until two outs in the 9th inning when Mickey Mantle clocks a ball over the 457 mark to tie the score. The game is rained out with the score 1–1 and will be replayed on August 18. New York will win the replay, 1–0. » September 6, 1968: Denny McLain notches win number 28, beating the Twins, 8–3. The Tigers score four runs off Jim Kaat before the first out is recorded. Minnesota rookie Graig Nettles hits his first homer, off Denny. » June 22, 1969: An American League record-tying, three straight, 2-out home runs by Ted Kubiak, Reggie Jackson, and Sal Bando in the 3rd inning power a 7–3 Oakland victory over Minnesota in the first of two games. Bando also homers in the first to back Chuck Dobson's win over Jim Kaat. Katt gets a save in the nitecap as Jim Perry squeezes home Oliva with the winning run in the 13th. Twins win, 4–3. » August 3, 1969: Twin Rich Reese's pinch-hit grand slam off the Orioles' Dave McNally in the 7th ends his 17-game winning streak. McNally, now 15-1 for the year, loses 5–2 to Jim Kaat. » August 13, 1969: Joe Pepitone returns to the Yankees but does not play in their 5–2 loss to the Twins. Rich Reese is 4-for-4 with two homers and two singles to drive in four runs for the Twins as Jim Kaat is the winner over Mel Stottlemyre (16-9). Reese will have hits his first three at bats tomorrow before flying out. » April 25, 1970: Tiger P Earl Wilson fans for the 3rd out in the 7th inning against the Twins. On the 3rd strike by Jim Kaat, Twins C Paul Ratliff traps the ball in the dirt, and must either throw to 1B or tag the batter. Instead he rolls the ball back to the mound, ignoring the fact that ump John Rice has not signaled a K. As the Twins head for their dugout, Wilson begins running the bases and is around 3B when OF Brant Alyea retrieves the ball and throws to SS Leo Cardenas, who is standing by home. Wilson turns back to 3B but Cardenas and Alyea run him down for a 7-6-7 out on a 3rd strike. Wilson pulls a hamstring on the play and leaves, trailing, 2–1, and Detroit ties it up 3–3 in the 9th. But Harmon Killebrew singles home Tony Oliva in the bottom of the 9th for the win. » June 22, 1970: Rod Carew, batting .376 for the Twins, injures his right knee during an attempted double play when Milwaukee's Mike Hegan slides into Carew. The injury will require surgery and sideline him until September. Harmon Killebrew's 5th inning homer with two on enables the Twins to beat the Brewers, 4–3 behind Jim Kaat. » April 11, 1971: The Twins Jim Kaat scatters 11 hits in shutting out the White Sox, 6–0. » July 2, 1972: Minnesota's Jim Kaat, sporting a 10-2 record and a 2.07 ERA, breaks his pitching hand while sliding. He will miss the remainder of the season. Kaat is relieved in the 8th by Granger, but gets credit for the 6–4 win over the White Sox. Tom Bradley wins his 10th in the nitecap, 2–1, for Chicago. » July 1, 1973: At California, the Twins' Jim Kaat fires a one-hitter to beat the Angels, 2–1. Frank Robinson's home run in the 2nd is the only hit. This is the 2nd time in his career that Robby hits a home run to break up a no hitter: he did it July 30, 1971 against KC's Dick Drago. » December 10, 1975: Bill Veeck and assistant Roland Hemonds set up shop in the hotel lobby at the winter meetings with a sign saying "open for business" and start dealing, making seven trades in two days. First to go is pitcher Jim Kaat and SS Mike Buskey to the Phillies. The Sox receive pitchers Dick Ruthven and Roy Thomas along with OF/INF Alan Bannister. » April 15, 1980: The White Sox edge the Yankees, 4–3, in 14 innings, scoring the unearned run off Jim Kaat. Wrothan is the winner with 4.2 innings of work. The two teams strand 25 base runners. » April 5, 1982: Forty-three-year-old Jim Kaat pitches one inning for the Cardinals in a season-opening 14–3 rout of the Astros, setting a new major-league record for pitchers by playing in his 24th consecutive season. » September 26, 1998: The Yankees defeat the Devil Rays, 3–1, for David Cone's 20th win of the year. Cone sets a record for the most years (10) between 20–win seasons, having won 20 for the Mets in 1988. Jim Kaat held the previous record at 9. Shane Spencer homers, his 6th in nine days and his 7th in the month, a Yankee rookie record.