Kirk Edward McCaskill (born April 9, 1961) is a Canadian-American former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
and former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
player. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
for the
California Angels and
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
between 1985 and 1996, and played in the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
for the
Sherbrooke Jets during the 1983–84 season.
Early life
McCaskill was born in
Kapuskasing, Ontario
Kapuskasing is a town on the Kapuskasing River in the Cochrane District of Northern Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Hearst. The town was known as MacPherson until 1917, when the name was changed so as not to conflict with another railw ...
, where his father
Ted McCaskill
Edward Joel McCaskill (October 29, 1936 – March 3, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played four games in the National Hockey League and 91 games in the World Hockey Association between 1968 and 1974. He played with the Min ...
was playing for the local senior league hockey team at that time.
As a child, McCaskill moved several times due to his father's professional hockey career, spending time in
Nashville,
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
,
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
,
Newport Beach
Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws ...
and
Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 duri ...
.
McCaskill's father retired from hockey in 1975 after which his family settled in
Paradise Valley, Arizona
Paradise Valley is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb of Phoenix, the state's largest city. It is Arizona's wealthiest municipality. The town is known for its luxury golf courses, shopping, expensive real estate, and ...
.
McCaskill attended
Edison High School in Huntington Beach his freshman year before being accepted at
Trinity-Pawling School
Trinity-Pawling School, founded in 1907, is an independent college and preparatory boarding school for boys from 7th grade to 12th grade. The 230 acre campus is situated in Pawling, New York, a small hamlet in southern Dutchess County. It is lo ...
in
Pawling, New York
Pawling may refer to:
*Pawling (town), New York, in Dutchess County
** Pawling (village), New York, in the town of Pawling
*** Pawling (Metro-North station), train station for the village
** Pawling Nature Reserve, in the northern section of the ...
. He moved to the boarding school mainly to pursue his hockey career, but continued to play baseball while there.
During his senior year, McCaskill had an 8–0 record with an 0.97 ERA and 97 strikeouts, scored 26 goals and 22 assists in 17 hockey games, and was the varsity soccer team's leading goal-scorer.
He turned down a baseball scholarship to
Arizona State University so that he could pursue both hockey and baseball at the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...
.
In 1980, he played
collegiate summer baseball in the
Cape Cod Baseball League for the
Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
Baseball career highlights
All-
ECAC in baseball and hockey as a collegiate student-athlete, McCaskill was drafted in the fourth round of the 1982 amateur draft by the
California Angels (88th overall), from the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...
, and would be the first baseball player from UVM to reach the major leagues since
Jack Lamabe in 1962. He debuted in 1985, and his break-out season was 1986 with the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
West champion
California Angels. He compiled a win–loss record of 17–10, with a 3.36
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
and 202
strikeouts
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
. He also totaled ten complete games on the season and would go on to have six seasons of ten or more wins, throw two one-hitters, and rank in the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
top ten in shutouts and
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
three times each during his career.
On September 14, 1990, McCaskill surrendered back-to-back home runs to
Ken Griffey Sr.
George Kenneth Griffey (born April 10, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from through , most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won ...
and
Ken Griffey Jr., who became the first father-son duo in MLB history to accomplish the feat.
Baseball awards and honors
In 2003, McCaskill was inducted into the
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (french: Temple de la renommée du baseball canadien) is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museum commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.
H ...
, along with
Joe Carter
Joseph Chris Carter (born March 7, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays ...
, Richard Bélec, and the
Asahi
Asahi (朝日, 旭, or あさひ) means "morning sun" in Japanese and may refer to:
Cities
* Asahi, Chiba (旭市; ''Asahi-shi'') Wards
* Asahi-ku, Osaka (旭区; ''Asahi-ku'')
* Asahi-ku, Yokohama (旭; ''Asahi-ku'')
Towns
* Asahi, Aichi (旭 ...
. In response to the news of induction, McCaskill was quoted as saying, "I am stunned by this wonderful news. I can't wait to tell my family and my parents. I am very proud of my Canadian heritage, and this is going to be an honor of a lifetime."
Hockey career highlights
McCaskill played center and right wing for the University of Vermont from 1979 to 1983, and in 1982 was a finalist for the
Hobey Baker Award
The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. It has been awarded 41 times. It is named for Hall of Famer Hobey Baker, who played college hockey at Princeton Universit ...
and was named to that season's NCAA East All-America First Team and the ECAC All-Star First Team. He was the team captain during the 1982–83 season, and won the Cunningham Award as the Most Valuable Player on the Catamounts.
McCaskill was drafted in the fourth round (64th overall) by the
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...
in the
1981 NHL Entry Draft
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
, playing only one season of professional hockey for the Sherbrooke Jets, a Jets farm team, and dressed for one game with the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL but did not play in the game. During the 1983–84 season, he scored 10 goals and added 12 assists for 22 points. He retired from professional hockey after that one season to focus solely on his professional baseball career.
For his achievements in hockey and baseball, McCaskill was inducted into the
Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Hockey awards and honors
Personal
Kirk and his wife, Dana, have three sons: Riley, Reese, and Bennett, who all currently reside in
Cardiff by the Sea,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
McCaskill holds both dual Canadian and U.S. citizenships.
He became the head baseball coach at
The Bishop's School in
La Jolla, California in November 2020, having previously been the head coach at
Torrey Pines High School
Torrey Pines High School is a high school in the North County Coastal area of San Diego, California. The school is named after the Torrey pine tree that grows in the area. Torrey Pines High School is a member of the San Dieguito Union High Schoo ...
in San Diego.
[Maffei, John]
"Kirk McCaskill returns to coaching, takes over at Bishop's".
''The San Diego Union-Tribune''. Nov. 17, 2020.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCaskill, Kirk
1961 births
Baseball people from Ontario
California Angels players
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States
Canadian ice hockey forwards
Chicago White Sox players
Major League Baseball players from Canada
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Major League Baseball pitchers
Sherbrooke Jets players
Vermont Catamounts baseball players
Vermont Catamounts men's ice hockey players
People from Kapuskasing
Salem Angels players
Edmonton Trappers players
South Bend White Sox players
Redwood Pioneers players
Living people
Winnipeg Jets (1979–1996) draft picks
Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players
AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
Expatriate baseball players in Italy
Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Nashua Angels players
Palm Springs Angels players