Kirk McCaskill

Kirk McCaskill
Pitcher
Born: April 9, 1961 (1961-04-09) Kapuskasing, Ontario
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 1, 1985 for the California Angels
Last MLB appearance
July 20, 1996 for the Chicago White Sox
Career statistics
Win–loss record	106–108
Earned run average	4.12
Strikeouts	1,003
Teams
California Angels (1985–1991) Chicago White Sox (1992–1996)

Kirk Edward McCaskill (born April 9, 1961, in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher and a retired professional hockey player.

McCaskill played for two different ballclubs during his career: the California Angels (1985–91), and Chicago White Sox (1992–96). He made his Major League Baseball debut on May 1, 1985, and played his final game on July 20, 1996. He also played professional hockey for the Sherbrooke Jets of the American Hockey League, a farm team for the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.

Early life

McCaskill was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, while his father, Ted McCaskill, was playing for the Kapuskasing GM's. McCaskill spent his childhood in several cities, including Nashville, Memphis, Vancouver, Phoenix, Newport Beach and Los Angeles, while father played professional hockey. McCaskill's father retired from hockey in 1975 and his family settled in Paradise Valley, Arizona

McCaskill attended Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling, New York. During his senior year, McCaskill had an 8–0 record with an 0.97 ERA and 97 strikeouts, scored 26 goals and 22 assists in 17 hockey games, and was the varsity soccer team's leading goal-scorer. He turned down a baseball scholarship to Arizona State University so that he could pursue both hockey and baseball at Vermont.

Baseball career highlights

All-ECAC in baseball and hockey as a collegiate student-athlete, McCaskill was drafted in the fourth round of the 1982 amateur draft by the California Angels (88th overall), from the University of Vermont, and would be the first baseball player from UVM to reach the major leagues since Jack Lamabe in 1962. He would debut in 1985, but his break-out season was 1986, with the American League West champion California Angels. He compiled a win-loss record of 17–10, with a 3.36 earned run average, and 202 strikeouts. He also totaled ten complete games on the season, and would go on to have six seasons of ten or more wins, throw two one-hitters, rank in the American League top ten in shutouts and earned run average three times each.

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

In 2003, McCaskill was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Joe Carter, Richard Bélec, and the Asahi. In response to the news of induction, McCaskill was quoted as saying, "I am stunned by this wonderful news. I can't wait to tell my family and my parents. I am very proud of my Canadian heritage, and this is going to be an honor of a lifetime."

Hockey career highlights

McCaskill played center and right wing for the University of Vermont from 1979 to 1983. In 1982, McCaskill won the Cunningham Award as the Most Valuable Player on the Catamounts. He was also a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and named to that season's NCAA East All-America First Team and the ECAC All-Star First Team. He was the team captain during the 1982–83 season.

McCaskill was drafted in the fourth round (64th overall) by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He played only one season of professional hockey for the Sherbrooke Jets, a Jets farm team. McKaskill dressed for one game with the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL but did not play in the game. During the 1983–84 season, he scored 10 goals and added 12 assists for 22 points. He retired from professional hockey after the one season to focus on his professional baseball career. One scout summed up his hockey career when he famously quipped that "he plays hockey like he pitches--once every four games."

Personal life

Kirk and his wife, Dana, have three sons: Riley, Reese, and Bennett. McCaskill has dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship. He also is a coach.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube