Rusty Kuntz
| Rusty Kuntz | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
| Born: February 4, 1955 Orange, California, USA | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| debut | |
| September 1, 1979, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last appearance | |
| April 24, 1985, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .236 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 38 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Russell Jay "Rusty" Kuntz (/[invalid input: 'icon']ˈkʌnts/; born February 4, 1955, in Orange, California) is a retired American Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He is an alumnus of California State University, Stanislaus.
Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 11th round of the 1977 MLB amateur draft, he then spent two seasons in the minor leagues. Kuntz made his Major League Baseball debut with the White Sox on September 1, 1979. After being used sparingly by the Sox for four seasons, Kuntz was traded to the Minnesota Twins, then to the Detroit Tigers after the 1983 season. In 1984, while still with Detroit, Kuntz had the best numbers of his career: a .286 average and a .393 on-base percentage, although he appeared in only 84 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter and fourth outfielder.
In the fifth and deciding game of the 1984 World Series against the San Diego Padres, Kuntz pinch-hit for designated hitter Johnny Grubb with the bases loaded and the score tied at three. Kuntz hit a pop-up to short right field that Tony Gwynn was unable to see ("I lost the ball in the sky", he later admitted). Second baseman Alan Wiggins made the catch, but was unable to prevent Kirk Gibson from racing home from third with the go-ahead run. The Tigers never trailed after that, giving Kuntz an unlikely game-winning RBI. Kuntz returned to the Tigers in 1985 but appeared in just five games (last on April 24, 1985) before being sent back to the minors. After batting just .222 for AAA Nashville, Kuntz retired as a player.
Kuntz has worked in various baseball positions since his retirement, and is, as of September 2010, a special assistant to Dayton Moore, general manager of the Kansas City Royals.[1]
He is best known for his humorous name. His name, is often mocked for sounding like a [[rusty] vagina.
References
References
- ^ Kaegel, Dick (September 15, 2010). "Jirschele taking over as KC's first-base coach". MLB.com. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
- Page at Baseball Almanac (inc. MLB Stats)
- Page at Sports Illustrated
- Ill-formatted IPAc-en transclusions
- 1955 births
- Living people
- American expatriate baseball people in Canada
- People from Orange, California
- Baseball players from California
- Cal State Stanislaus Warriors baseball players
- Chicago White Sox players
- Detroit Tigers players
- Edmonton Trappers players
- Evansville Triplets players
- Florida Marlins coaches
- Kansas City Royals coaches
- Major League Baseball center fielders
- Major League Baseball designated hitters
- Major League Baseball first base coaches
- Major League Baseball outfielders
- Minnesota Twins players
- Nashville Sounds players
- Pittsburgh Pirates coaches
- Seattle Mariners coaches