Art Kusnyer

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Arthur William Kusnyer (born December 19, 1945 in Akron, Ohio) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 37th round of the 1966 amateur draft. He played for the White Sox (1970), California Angels (1971-1973), Milwaukee Brewers (1976), and Kansas City Royals (1978).

He was somewhat error-prone behind the plate during sporadic playing time at the major league level, committing 20 errors in just 136 games for a .970 fielding percentage. He also had trouble at the plate, with a lifetime batting average of just .176 with 3 home runs and 21 RBIs in 313 career at bats.

Career highlights include:

• one 3-hit game...three singles vs. the Texas Rangers (April 21, 1972)
• one 5-RBI game...a two-run triple and a three-run double vs. the Texas Rangers (June 29, 1972)
• catching Nolan Ryan's second career No-hitter (July 15, 1973)
• one 3-RBI game...a three-run double vs. the Boston Red Sox (July 3, 1976)
• a home run against All-Star Frank Tanana of the California Angels (June 26, 1978)

After his playing career, he eventually found his way back to the White Sox as the bullpen coach, where he served for 19 years (1980-87 and 1996 to 2007). In between, from 1988-95, he held the same position with the Oakland Athletics. He was a longtime member of Tony La Russa's coaching staffs in both cities. In 2008, he was listed as a roving minor league instructor by the White Sox.

[edit] Minor League Trivia

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• led the Midwest League with 29 passed balls while playing for the Appleton Foxes in 1968
• led the Carolina League with 24 passed balls while playing for the Lynchburg White Sox in 1969
• tied for the Southern League lead with 14 passed balls while playing for the Mobile White Sox in 1970
• led the Pacific Coast League with 11 sacrifice flies, and led the league's catchers with 14 double plays while playing for the Salt Lake City Angels in 1971
• led Pacific Coast League catchers with 20 double plays while playing for the Sacramento Solons in 1974

[edit] See also

• Chicago White Sox all-time roster

[edit] References

• 1979 Baseball Register published by The Sporting News

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Retrosheet

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