Rest In Peace, Ralph Kiner!

Ralph Kiner was an original Mets broadcaster since 1962.

Shale Briskin

MM Assistant Editor

Hi everyone. It's been a while since anyone here has checked in, and with that being said, I will soon post my offseason recap once we get even closer to spring training.

However, some very tragic news occurred today within the Mets family. Ralph Kiner, one of the Mets' original announcers passed away today at the age of 91.

Kiner first came to fame as a slugger with the Pittsburgh Pirates, whom he played for from 1946-1953. The Hall of Famer hit 369 career home runs in just ten seasons and led the National League in home runs in each of his first seven seasons. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.

Kiner, Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson were the three announcers that were with the Mets since the beginning. Kiner eventually did just television work, while Murphy went to radio. Even in recent years, when Kiner's health was declining, he would still come out to Shea Stadium, and later, Citi Field to be in the broadcast booth, which appropriately is named after him and watch the Mets play.

Kiner had also hosted his legendary post-game show, "Kiner's Korner", in which he would interview various players after each game.

Kiner will be dearly missed by both the Pirates and Mets families, as well as by fans from both teams. He is survived by his five children and twelve grand-children. I can only imagine the Mets will wear a commemorative patch this season on their uniforms in his honor, like they did for the late Gary Carter in 2012.

On a personal note, I didn't get to see Ralph announce as much as some of the older fans did, but every time he was in the booth, I'd always listen closely because he would tell great stories of the past and I enjoyed every one of them. I will truly miss him! Rest in peace, Ralph!