Pitcher, Minnesota
Twins
Age: 23
3rd season
with Senators/Twins
Bats – Left,
Throws – Left
Height: 6’4” Weight: 205
Prior to 1962:
A native of
Zeeland, Michigan, where he was part of the Dutch immigrant community, Kaat
(pronounced cot) played basketball, as well as baseball, in high school. Adept
at getting batters out while not throwing hard, he began to fill out physically
while attending Hope College. Following a workout with the Washington Senators,
Kaat was signed for a $4000 bonus in 1957 and was assigned to Superior of the
Class D Nebraska State League where he produced a 5-6 record and a 3.70 ERA
with 4 complete games and 95 strikeouts over 73 innings pitched. In 1958 he
pitched for the Missoula Timberjacks of the Class C Pioneer League where he
compiled a 16-9 tally and 2.99 ERA with 15 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 245
strikeouts over 223 innings. Kaat advanced to the Chattanooga Lookouts of the
Class AA Southern Association in 1959 where he went 8-8 with a 4.10 ERA, 7
complete games, and 132 strikeouts over 134 innings. Making three appearances
with the Senators, two of them starts, he had a 0-2 record and unimpressive
12.60 ERA. Following an offseason back operation, in 1960 he moved on to
Charleston of the Class AAA American Association where his tally was 7-10 with
a 3.82 ERA, 10 complete games, and 106 strikeouts over 146 innings. Again
called up by the Senators, he pitched in 13 games (9 of them starts) and had a
1-5 record and 5.58 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 50 innings. With the relocation
of the franchise, now named the Minnesota Twins in 1961, Kaat’s tally was 9-17
with a 3.90 ERA, 8 complete games, and 122 strikeouts over 200.2 innings. A
fast-working pitcher, he threw a fastball and curve. He was also an excellent
fielder.
1962 Season Summary
Appeared in 48
games
P – 39, PR – 9,
PH – 2
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 39
Games Started –
35 [4, tied with four others]
Complete Games
– 16 [2, tied with Dick Donovan]
Wins – 18 [6]
Losses – 14 [6,
tied with Gene Conley, Juan Pizarro & Dan Pfister]
PCT - .563 [19]
Saves – 1
Shutouts – 5 [1,
tied with Dick Donovan & Camilo Pascual]
Innings Pitched
– 269 [2]
Hits – 243 [4,
tied with Whitey Ford]
Runs – 106 [10]
Earned Runs – 94
[11, tied with Jerry Walker]
Home Runs – 23 [15,
tied with five others]
Bases on Balls
– 75 [16, tied with Milt Pappas & Eli Grba]
Strikeouts – 173
[4, tied with Juan Pizarro]
ERA – 3.14 [6]
Hit Batters – 18
[1]
Balks – 0
Wild Pitches – 13
[1]
League-leading hit
batters were +5 ahead of runners-up Bo Belinsky & Jim Bunning
League-leading
wild pitches were +2 ahead of runners-up Earl Wilson, Hoyt Wilhelm & Danny
McDevitt
Midseason
Snapshot: 8-8, ERA – 3.93, SO - 86 in 128.1 IP
---
Most
strikeouts, game – 12 (in 11 IP) at Baltimore 8/1
10+ strikeout
games – 2
Fewest hits
allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 7.2 IP) vs. KC A’s 5/12
Batting
PA – 109, AB – 100,
R – 9, H – 18, 2B – 3, 3B – 1, HR – 1, RBI – 10, BB – 8, SO – 40, SB – 0, CS – 0,
AVG - .180, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 1
Fielding
Chances - 91
Put Outs – 16
Assists – 72
Errors – 3
DP – 6
Pct. - .967
Awards & Honors:
Gold Glove
All-Star
---
The Twins went
91-71 to finish second in the AL, 5 games behind the pennant-winning New York
Yankees. The pitching staff led the league in complete games (53), strikeouts
(948), and fewest walks allowed (493). The Twins were surprise contenders from
the start and stuck close behind the Yankees through April, May, and June. 7
games back on August 1, they whittled their way closer until time ran out in
September.
Aftermath of 1962:
Hindered by a
sore arm, Kaat’s performance dropped off in 1963 to 10-10 and a 4.19 ERA with 7
complete games, one shutout, and 105 strikeouts over 178.1 innings. While the
Twins had a down year in 1964, Kaat bounced back to 17-11 with a 3.22 ERA, 13
complete games, and 171 strikeouts over 243 innings. The club rebounded to win
the AL pennant in 1965 and Kaat, having added a slider to his repertoire,
contributed an 18-11 record and 2.83 ERA with 7 complete games, 2 shutouts, and
154 strikeouts over 264.1 innings while tying the franchise record with his
league-leading 42 starts. In the seven-game World Series loss to the Los
Angeles Dodgers, Kaat outdueled LA ace Sandy Koufax in winning Game 2 but lost
ensuing matchups against Koufax in Game 5 and the decisive Game 7. Kaat had an
excellent season in 1966, posting a 25-13 tally to top the circuit in wins as
well as starts (41), complete games (19), innings pitched (304.2), to go along
with a 2.75 ERA, 3 shutouts, and 205 strikeouts. He received AL Pitcher of the
Year honors from The Sporting News and placed fifth in league MVP
voting. Following the season in which Minnesota finished second to the
Baltimore Orioles, highly-regarded pitching coach Johnny Sain was let go much
to the outspoken chagrin of Kaat, among other members of the pitching staff. In
addition to adding the slider to Kaat’s selection of pitches, Sain also coached
him in throwing a combination slider and curve, called a “slurve”. Following a
slow start that led to a managerial change in 1967, the Twins became embroiled
in a wild four-team battle for the AL pennant. Kaat, who had gotten off to a
1-7 start, reeled off seven straight wins down the stretch. Starting the first
of a two-game series at Boston to decide the pennant, he felt something pop in
his elbow and had to leave the game. The Twins lost this and the season finale
the next day to end up in a tie for second place. Kaat’s injury was a torn
muscle and he finished with a 16-13 tally and 3.04 ERA with 13 complete games,
2 shutouts, and 211 strikeouts over 263.1 innings. The injury lingered into the
1968 season, with Kaat on the disabled list at the start. After missing the
first five weeks, he returned to action in May and went on to produce a 14-12
record and 2.94 ERA with 9 complete games, 2 shutouts, and 130 strikeouts over
208 innings. Following a disappointing seventh-place finish in 1968, the Twins
had a new manager in Billy Martin in 1969, who lacked confidence in Kaat.
Relegated to the bullpen late in the season, he finished at 14-13 with a 3.49
ERA, 10 complete games, one save, and 139 strikeouts over 242.1 innings. In the
first season of divisional play, the club won the AL West but lost the ALCS to
the Baltimore Orioles, with Martin refusing to use Kaat in a decisive Game 3
loss. Billy Martin was replaced as manager of the Twins by Bill Rigney in 1970
and the club again topped the AL West, although in less impressive form. Kaat
was erratic on his way to delivering a 14-10 record and 3.56 ERA with only 4
complete games, one shutout, and 120 strikeouts over 230.1 innings. Minnesota
again was swept by the Orioles in the ALCS with Kaat starting and failing to
last three innings in losing the decisive third game. The Twins entered a
period of decline in 1971 and while Kaat’s ERA was a respectable 3.32, his
record was only 13-14 to go with 15 complete games, 4 shutouts, and 137
strikeouts over 260.1 innings. He was excellent for the first half of the 1972
season and was 10-2 with a 2.06 ERA, 5 complete games, and 64 strikeouts over
113.1 innings when he broke a bone in his left hand on July 2 and was done for
the year. Following an acrimonious negotiation with Twins owner Calvin Griffith
to receive a raise for 1973, Kaat had an 11-12 tally and a 4.41 ERA when he was
waived in August. Claimed by the Chicago White Sox, he went 4-1 to finish out
the season and ended up with a combined record of 15-13 and a 4.37 ERA with 10
complete games, 3 shutouts, and 109 strikeouts over 224.1 innings. In 1974 with
the White Sox, Kaat experienced a resurgence at age 35 and, fueled by two
seven-decision winning streaks, including one to finish out the season, he
ended up with a 21-13 tally and 2.92 ERA with 15 complete games, 3 shutouts, and
142 strikeouts over 277.1 innings. The success continued in 1975 as the
fast-working Kaat quickened his delivery (occasionally timed at only 8 seconds
between pitches), sometimes to the consternation of opposing batters. He
produced a 20-14 record and 3.11 ERA with 12 complete games, one shutout, and
142 strikeouts over 303.2 innings. In the offseason he was traded to the
Philadelphia Phillies, who were looking to solidify their rotation in an effort
to dethrone the Pirates as the top club in the NL East. While the Phillies
succeeded in winning the division in 1976, Kaat’s tally was only 12-14 with a
3.48 ERA, 7 complete games, and 83 strikeouts over 227.2 innings, which would
prove to be the last time in his career that he would exceed 200 innings pitched.
Philadelphia was swept by the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS. Kaat started the
decisive Game 3 and was relieved in the sixth inning in a contest in which the
Reds eventually prevailed. His performance dropped off further in 1977 to 6-11
and a 5.39 ERA. While the Phillies again topped the NL East, Kaat was not used
in the NLCS loss to the Dodgers. Trade bait in the offseason, he returned to
the Phillies in 1978 and was marginally better at 8-5 with a 4.10 ERA. Sold to
the New York Yankees early in the 1979 season and relegated almost exclusively to
the bullpen, Kaat appeared in 40 games in his return to the American League and
posted a 2-3 mark with 2 saves, a 3.86 ERA, and 23 strikeouts over 58.1
innings. In 1980 he was sold to the St. Louis Cardinals at the end of April and
pitched in 49 games, 14 of them starts, in producing an 8-7 record and 3.82
ERA. Effective out of the bullpen during the strike-shortened 1981 season, Kaat
maintained the same role in 1982 as the Cardinals topped the NL East. He
appeared in 62 games and had a 5-3 record and 2 saves with a 4.08 ERA and 35
strikeouts over 75 innings. Unused in the NLCS victory over Atlanta, Kaat made
4 appearances in the seven-game World Series defeat of the Milwaukee Brewers.
He had no decisions and gave up one earned run over a total of 2.1 innings of
spot relief in what proved to be his only participation in a World Series in
which his team won. With the Cardinals not performing well in 1983, Kaat was
released in July. Unable to catch on with another club at age 44, his long
pitching career came to an end. For his major league career, Kaat pitched in
898 games and produced a 283-237 record with a 3.45 ERA, 180 complete games, 31
shutouts, 17 saves, and 2461 strikeouts over 4530.1 innings. With the
Senators/Twins he appeared in 484 games and went 190-159 with a 3.34 ERA, 133
complete games, 23 shutouts, 5 saves, and 1851 strikeouts over 3014.1 innings.
Pitching in 9 postseason games, his record was 1-3 with a 4.01 ERA, one
complete game, and 10 strikeouts over 24.2 innings. A decent hitting pitcher as
well as an accomplished fielder, as attested to by his 16 consecutive Gold
Gloves, Kaat batted .185 with 44 doubles, 5 triples, 16 home runs, and 106
RBIs. He was a three-time All-Star and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of
Fame in 2022. The Twins retired his #36. Following his playing career he was
pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds for one season before turning to
broadcasting. Devoted to personal fitness, which no doubt contributed to his
pitching longevity, Kaat was also an active golfer.
---
Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum
of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who
led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a
minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between
the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc.
players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the
postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.
