By Roger Wallenstein
Not long before he died about five years ago, Ralph Kiner, the premier power hitter of his time who led the National League in home runs for seven consecutive seasons (1946-52), told an audience at a luncheon that I attended about his negotiation with the legendary Branch Rickey prior to the 1953 season.
Rickey was a few seasons removed from his days in Brooklyn and Jackie Robinson, having moved on to the dismal environs of Pittsburgh where the Pirates were perennial cellar-dwellers. Kiner was hitting baseballs with great regularity over the fences at Forbes Field in front of sparse crowds before the days of television.
Kiner’s opinion of Rickey had nothing to do with breaking baseball’s color line. He pointed out that Rickey was exceedingly frugal, a genuine penny-pincher for the small town franchise that finished no higher than seventh place in the eight-team league from 1950-57.
Kiner’s salary was $90,000 in 1952, a season in which the right-handed slugger hit 37 home runs despite batting .244. Agents were non-existent in those times, so Kiner sat across the desk from Rickey, who informed him that he would receive a $15,000 pay cut for ’53. The two went round and round for about an hour before Rickey finally asked, “Ralph, where did we finish last season?”
Posted on February 26, 2019