Harmon Killebrew (1984)


Date of Birth: 6/29/1936
Date of Death: 5/17/2011
Birthplace: Payette, Idaho
College: Albertson College

Harmon Killebrew started playing baseball as a child and, by the time he entered high school, he displayed superior athletic abilities. In 1954, at the age of only 17, he signed with the Washington Senators.

Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins

Killebrew split his time with the Senators in his first few years with time in the minor leagues. From 1954 through 1958, he played in a total of only 113 games with the Senators, playing in nine games in 1954 and 1957, 38 games in 1955, 44 games in 1956, and 13 games in 1958.

In 1959, Killebrew became the Senators starting third baseman. That season he led the American League in home runs with 42. He batted .242 with 132 hits, 20 doubles, and 105 RBIs in 153 games. He walked 90 times and he struck out 116 times. He batted .276 in 124 games in 1960. He had 122 hits, 19 doubles, 31 home runs, 106 strikeouts to 71 walks, and 80 RBIs.

The Washington Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961, and they became the Twins, with Killebrew as their star player. He finished the 1961 season with 156 hits, 20 doubles, 46 home runs, 122 RBIs, and a .288 batting average. He showed good discipline at the plate, walking 107 times (to 109 strikeouts).

Killebrew led the AL in home runs and RBIs in 1962. However, he batted just .243 that season. He had 134 hits, 21 doubles, 48 home runs, and 126 RBIs in 155 games. He walked 106 times and struck out 142 times.

Killebrew led the AL in home runs in 1963 with 45, and in 1964 with a career high of 49. He batted .258 in 142 games in 1963, and .270 in 158 games the following season. He had 133 hits and 96 RBIs in 1963, and 156 hits and 111 RBIs in 1964. He played in just 113 games in 1965, and he had 108 hits, 25 home runs, 75 RBIs, and a .269 batting average.

In 1966, Killebrew led the AL in walks with 103 (to 98 strikeouts). He had career highs in hits (160) and doubles (27), 39 home runs, 110 RBIs, and a .281 batting average in 162 games.

Killebrew played in a career high 163 games in 1967, and he led the AL in home runs and in walks. He finished the season with 147 hits, 24 doubles, 44 home runs, 113 RBIs, 111 strikeouts to 131 walks, and a .269 batting average. He played in just 100 games the following season and he batted .210.

Killebrew had his greatest success in the later years of his career. In 1969, sixteen years after his first major league at bat, he won the AL MVP award and the Sporting News Player of the Year award, and he led the league in games played, home runs, RBIs, walks, and on-base percentage. He had career highs in home runs with 49, RBIs with 140, and walks with 145 (to 84 strikeouts). He also had 153 hits, 20 doubles, and a .276 batting average in 162 games. His on-base percentage was .427.

Killebrew again won the Sporting News Player of the Year award in 1970. He finished that season with 143 hits, 20 doubles, 41 home runs, 113 RBIs, 84 strikeouts to 128 walks, and a .271 batting average in 157 games. The following season, he again led the AL in RBIs and in walks. In 1971, he had 127 hits, 19 doubles, 28 home runs, 119 RBIs, 96 strikeouts to 114 walks, and a .254 batting average in 147 games. He won the Lou Gehrig Memorial award in 1971.

Killebrew struggled offensively in 1972, batting just .231 in 139 games. He had 100 hits, 26 home runs, and 74 RBIs. However, he did get on base with 94 walks (to 91 strikeouts). In 1973, he played in just 69 games and he batted .242. The following season was even worse, with a .222 batting average in 122 games.

Kansas City Royals

The Twins released Killebrew on January 16, 1975. He signed with the Kansas City Royals on January 24th. In his last season in the major leagues, he batted just .199 in 106 games. He was released by the Royals on November 10, 1975.

Awards and MLB Records

  • AL MVP
  • Sporting News Player of the Year (2 times)
  • Lou Gehrig Memorial award
  • Led AL in home runs (6 times)
  • Led AL in RBIs (3 times)
  • Led AL in walks (4 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Killebrew in 16 full seasons (1961-1972, 1974-1975) in the major leagues include:

  • 4 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 160 in 1966
  • 13 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 49 in 1964 and 1969
  • 9 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 140 in 1969

Career batting statistics for Killebrew include:

  • 2,435 games played
  • 2,086 hits
  • 290 doubles
  • 573 home runs
  • 1,584 RBIs
  • 1,699 strikeouts to 1,559 walks
  • .256 batting average
  • .376 on-base percentage
  • .885 OPS

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Killebrew became a TV broadcaster. He started with the Twins from 1976 through 1978, moved to the Oakland Athletics from 1979 through 1982, worked one year for the Los Angeles Angels in 1983, and returned to the Twins in 1984. He then continued as a Twins broadcaster through 1988.

Killebrew was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984 on the fourth ballot with 83.1% of the vote.

Killebrew died of cancer on May 17, 2011.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Harmon Killebrew
ESPN - Harmon Killebrew
Baseball Reference - Harmon Killebrew

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