| John Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Third baseman / Shortstop / Second baseman | |
| Born: May 29, 1941 | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 5, 1962 for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 16, 1974 for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .225 |
| Hits | 475 |
| Runs batted in | 185 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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John Edward Kennedy (born May 29, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman, shortstop and second baseman. He played from 1965-1974 for the Washington Senators, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee Brewers, and Boston Red Sox.
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Kennedy spent twelve seasons in the major leagues. He hit a home run in his first major league at bat (on September 5, 1962, against Dick Stigman of the Minnesota Twins), and garnered headlines because both his name and birthdate, May 29, were shared with the President of the United States at the time, John Fitzergald Kennedy, who was born 24 years earlier.
His only season as a full-time regular was with the 1964 Washington Senators under manager Gil Hodges, primarily as a third baseman, but also playing at shortstop and second base. Kennedy hit .230 with seven home runs and 35 runs batted in. After the 1964 season, he was traded with pitcher Claude Osteen and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers for five players, including outfielder Frank Howard. With the Dodgers, Kennedy would be part of history when he replaced Jim Gilliam at third base in the eighth inning of Sandy Koufax's perfect game on September 9, 1965.[1] The New York Yankees acquired Kennedy in a trade after the 1966 season, then sold him to the expansion Seattle Pilots after the 1968 season. Kennedy retired in 1974 after four and a half seasons with the Boston Red Sox.
Kennedy was supposedly the first to refer to teammate Bill Lee as "Spaceman." According to Lee, the Red Sox had just beaten the Orioles in a 1972 game to take over first place in the American League East. Lee was the winning pitcher that day, having pitched 8 2/3 innings of relief. As the media clamored around Lee's locker for their postgame interviews, Kennedy (whose locker was next to Lee's) heard a reference to a man having landed on the moon that day. Kennedy reportedly said, "We don't need to see that. We have our own spaceman right over there."
Kennedy has scouted, managed, and coached in the minor leagues since leaving Major League Baseball. He managed the North Shore Spirit throughout most of their five years as an independent team.[2]
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