Interesting tidbit on Jim Kaat from a Bill James column.

As I mentioned in a "Hey, Bill" a couple of weeks ago, Jim Kaat was one of my favorite players when I was a kid, but I never much liked him as an announcer. But he did something in this game that really impressed me.

Talking about the Cardinals and Red Sox, Costas spoke at some length about Carl Yastrzemski’s fantastic September performance in 1967. I would bet that Costas was not aware that his broadcast partner, Jim Kaat, probably had a better month in September, 1967, than Yastrzemski did. Yaz hit .391 in September, actually .417 if you include the one game played on October 1; let’s say .417 with 9 homers, 26 RBI. That includes 27 games, exactly one-sixth of the Sox season, so multiply by six, that’s a .417 season with 54 homers, 156 RBI. Tremendous performance.

Jim Kaat, in the same month, went 7-0 with a 1.51 ERA, 65.2 innings. Do the math. Which do you want: a hitter who hits .417 with 54 bombs, 156 RBI, or a pitcher who works 394 innings and goes 42-0 with a 1.51 ERA?

The Twins and Red Sox played the last two games of the year at Fenway. The Twins went into the series a game ahead, lost both games and lost the pennant by one game. Kaat started the first game, gave up no runs but had to come out of the game in the third inning with an injury. Had he stayed in the game and won, the Twins would have won the pennant, and Kaat—not Yaz—would be immortalized for his fantastic September performance, carrying his team to the pennant.

But when Costas talked at some length about what Yaz had done, Kaat didn’t say one word about it! He didn’t HINT that he was there, that he was a key figure in this story, and that he was almost the hero of it. I was very impressed by that.

never knew that about Kaat. Outstanding post.

GREAT ..GREAT POST.....it probably brought back bad memories for kaat...having to come out of that game...being in the zone of zones.

What makes Kaat's September even more amazing was him entering the month with a very ordinary 9-13 record and 3.55 ERA (this in a season where the AL league-wide ERA was 3.23).

In "The New Historical Baseball Abstract" - James gives a game by game account of Kaat's 1965 late season heroics, right up there with what Yaz did as a batter two years later, from a pitching perspective. But few think of Kaat as that great a pitcher. For at least a while, he was.

And yes, he was a Yankees announcer for many years, one I liked, and like his partner Ken Singleton, seemed a humble, respectful, courteous person.

I think Kitty should be in the hall.