Ed Kirkpatrick
| Ed Kirkpatrick | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Kirkpatrick in 1977 | |||
| Outfielder / Catcher | |||
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Born: October 8, 1944 Spokane, Washington | |||
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Died: November 15, 2010 (aged 66) Mission Viejo, California | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 13, 1962, for the Los Angeles Angels | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 2, 1977, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .238 | ||
| Home runs | 85 | ||
| Runs batted in | 424 | ||
| Teams | |||
Edgar Leon Kirkpatrick [Spanky] (October 8, 1944 – November 15, 2010) was an outfielder and catcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1962 through 1977 for the Los Angeles/California Angels, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers.[1]
Kirkpatrick helped the Pirates win the National League Eastern Division in the 1974 and 1975 seasons.
In 16 seasons, he played in 1,311 games and had 3,467 at-bats, 411 runs, 824 hits, 143 doubles, 18 triples, 85 home runs, 424 RBI, 34 stolen bases, 456 walks, .238 batting average, .327 on-base percentage, .363 slugging percentage, 1,258 total bases, 25 sacrifice hits, 39 sacrifice flies and 70 intentional walks.
Kirkpatrick recorded the final base hit (a single in the 8th inning) in the final game ever played at Kansas City's Municipal Stadium on October 4, 1972.
In 1981, Kirkpatrick was leaving a charity event in La Habra, California, and he was involved in a seemingly minor car accident. A blood clot traveled from his neck into his brain the next day, and he suffered a heart attack during a subsequent brain surgery.[2] He was in a coma for 5½ months and was left permanently paralyzed.[3][4] He died at the age of 66 in Mission Viejo, California after a long battle with throat cancer.[5]
References
- ↑ "Former Angels outfielder Ed Kirkpatrick dies at 66". The Los Angeles Times. November 15, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ↑ Smith, Sarah (May 8, 1985). "The sons also rise: Kirkpatrick rallies to thrive, not just survive, on the diamond". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ↑ Markusen, Bruce (July 1998). "Designated Hitter Born 25 Years Ago". Baseball Digest. p. 79
- ↑ Former Angels outfielder Ed Kirkpatrick dies at 66
- ↑ "Former major league outfielder Ed Kirkpatrick dies". fox11az.com. Associated Press. Retrieved November 17, 2010.