Wendell Kim
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wendell Kim (born March 9, 1950 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is a former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He most recently served as the third base coach for the Chicago Cubs, and is of mixed Korean and Hawaiian descent.
Kim got his start in professional baseball as a player, coming up through the San Francisco Giants' farm system as an infielder in the late seventies. He reached the AAA level in 1978, and had a .303 batting average in the Pacific Coast League. He never reached the major leagues, however, and he was released by the following spring. He played a brief stint in the Inter-American League in 1979, but was out of baseball by the end of the season.
In 1980 he began his coaching career, starting out as a coach for the AA Shreveport Captains. Throughout the eighties he coached and managed several teams in the Giants' organization, including the Captains, Clinton Giants, Fresno Giants and Phoenix Firebirds. It wasn't until 1989 that he got his first taste of major league baseball, when he became the third base coach for the Giants.
Kim held the Giants' job for eight years, before leaving to coach third base for the Boston Red Sox. He quickly became a controversial figure in Red Sox Nation, as he became known for his tendency to aggressively send runners home. He earned the nickname "Wave 'Em Home Wendell" for this aggressiveness, which over the years led to many outs on the basepaths. He held down the third base coaching job in Boston for four years, however, manning the position from 1997 to 2000.
Kim left the Red Sox in 2001 to pursue a managing job in the minor leagues. He took over as the skipper of the Indianapolis Indians, who were the AAA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers at the time. That job was short-lived, however, as he soon left to become the bench coach for the Montreal Expos, a position he took in 2002.
After his stint on the Expos' bench, Kim returned to coaching third base, taking that position with the Chicago Cubs in 2004. His reputation in Chicago was similar to the one he earned in Boston, as he continued to aggressively wave baserunners toward the plate. Cubs fans gave Kim the nickname of "Wavin' Wendell."
On October 11, 2004, the Cubs announced that Kim would not be returning as the third base coach for the 2005 season. Kim has not been seen in baseball since his departure from Chicago.
