Hal McRae

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Harold Abraham McRae (born July 10, 1945 in Avon Park, Florida) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds (1968, 1970-72) and Kansas City Royals (1973-87). McRae batted and threw right-handed. He is the father of Brian McRae.

Considered a below-average outfielder with the Reds, McRae developed as a consistent designated hitter in the American League. His playing career spanned 23 years, including 14 seasons with Kansas City. Selected a three-time All-Star, he hit over .300 six times for the Royals and was named Designated Hitter of the Year three times both by The Sporting News and Associated Press.

In 1976 McRae was on top of the American League batting title race going into the final game of the season, in which his teammate George Brett went 2-for-4 to clinch the title over McRae by a margin of less than .001. McRae finished second. Oddly, the other two of the top four finishers that season, Minnesota Twins' Rod Carew and Lyman Bostock, played in that same game.

In a 19-year MLB career, McRae posted a .290 batting average (2091-for-7218) with 191 home runs, 1097 RBI, 484 doubles, 65 triples, and 109 stolen bases in 2084 games played. He added a .351 on base percentage and a .454 slugging average for a combined .805 OPS.

Following his playing retirement, McRae managed the Kansas City Royals (1991-94) and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2001-02). He also served as a hitting coach for the Reds and Phillies, and is currently the hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. McRae, who won a World Series ring playing for Kansas City against the Cardinals in 1985, won a ring as a coach for the Cardinals when they defeated the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 World Series, four games to one.

Contents

[edit] Highlights

  • 3-time All-Star (1975-76, 1982)
  • 3-time TSN and AP DH Award (1976, 1980, 1982)
  • Silver Slugger Award (1982)
  • Led league in on base percentage (.407, 1976)
  • Led league in OPS (.868, 1976)
  • Finished second for AL batting title by less than .001 (1976)
  • Led league in games played (162, 1977)
  • Led league in doubles (54, 1977)
  • Led league in extra-base hits (86, 1977)
  • Led league in hit by pitch (13, 1977)
  • Led league and set a Royals record in RBI (133, 1982)
  • Tied a MLB record with six extra-base hits in a game (five doubles and a home run, August 27, 1974)

[edit] Trivia

  • While managing for Kansas City Royals, McRae was involved in an infamous incident in which he lost his temper with reporters and trashed his entire office, throwing things off of his desk and yelling profanities at reporters. It was recently voted the biggest pro-athlete blow up on The Best Damn Sports Show Period.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

  • Video of his blow up against the media: [1]
Preceded by
Bob Schaefer		 Kansas City Royals managers
1991–1994		 Succeeded by
Bob Boone
Preceded by
Larry Rothschild		 Tampa Bay Devil Rays managers
2001–2002		 Succeeded by
Lou Piniella
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