We regret to inform you because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family that the commissioner has canceled the game today. Everybody is kind of congregating in the clubhouse, tiny clubhouse in Wrigley. And I’ll never forget one of the clubbies came up to me and said, you know, I got a real bad feeling about this.
The guys knew that there were that there was a serious issue here and virtually everybody was fearing the worst. I remember kneeling down on the Cubs visiting clubhouse and praying and I knew. It uh it was one of the worst days of my life. Sad news today from Chicago where Darryl Kile, the star pitcher for the St.
Louis Cardinals baseball team, was found dead in his hotel room. You know, our thoughts and prayers are really with [snorts] him and and his family. Just get through little kids. Yeah, it’s tough. That was hard. That was That was That was still, you know, talking about it now is hard. I I can’t believe it’s been 10 years, to be honest with you.
On April 24th, 1991, Darryl Kile made his first major league start against the defending world champion Cincinnati Reds. Got him swinging in a strong first inning. Kile pitched six hitless innings that night before being lifted to protect his 22-year-old arm. The California native had a good fastball back then, but the pitch that everyone would shake their head at was his killer curveball.
And there’s the curveball, strike three. This big 12-to-6, the old-fashioned Bert Blyleven big curveball. It’s a knee-buckling curveball. When it comes out of his hand, you think it’s going to hit you. So, you you give a little lean back, your knees kind of get weak.
You don’t see many big 12-to-6 curveballs, especially sharp ones like Darryl had. Got a nasty breaking ball. In 1993, Darryl Kile had his breakthrough season. He won 15 games that year and made the All-Star team. 2-2 pitch. STRIKE THREE! [cheering] KILE ONE OUT AWAY FROM A NO-HITTER. And on September 8th, 1993, Kile had his moment in baseball history.
1-2 pitch. Swinger and a miss, strike three! A NO-HITTER FOR DARRYL KILE! A BIG NIGHT FOR THE BIG RIGHT-HANDER. Great stuff, what can you say? I mean, he’s got probably one of the better curveballs in the league on nights like tonight. Just uh it’s real tough to hit. Just seeing Scotty coming out and all the guys on the mound just made it that much better.
I’ve never been a part of something so exciting and having the whole team out there yelling and screaming and made it all the more fun. Probably the happiest I’ve ever been for a teammate in my entire life. Um with all the teammates caring so much about one person, it just it was a great moment. [cheering] Is it something special I would think the connection between the two to go through something like this? Yeah, definitely so.
We’re going to be talking about it when we’re both about 50. [laughter] Four years later, Kile was once again an All-Star. He won 19 games for the Astros in 1997 and finished fifth in the Cy Young Award voting. Breaking ball, see you later. A free agent that off season, Kile signed with the Rockies. He suffered control problems in Colorado though and would endure the two worst seasons of his career.
High fly ball by Bichette going over into the corner looking up, looking up, gone. Well, those [cheering] high fly balls seem to be sailing out of here. My heart aches for him that year in Colorado because he was just too good a pitcher to go through what he was going through. After 2 years in Colorado, Kyle was traded to Tony La Russa’s St.
Louis Cardinals. So now he comes to St. Louis and he’s had the real potential, he’s had some productions, he’s had his heart broken, he’s embarrassed. I mean, he’s like a baby rabbit wanting to learn. So I really think it was a perfect timing. Jones is gone. A big out and a strikeout for Kyle number eight.
It turns out La Russa was right. His first season with St. Louis, he became the first Cardinal pitcher in 15 years to win 20 games. Game over. Redbirds win it. A fantastic play by Kyle. And the following year, he was a 16 game winner. GAME OVER AND KYLE holds on for the complete game victory. At 33, Darryl Kile had rebuilt his reputation as a front-line starting pitcher with one of the game’s best curve balls.
He got him to chase and got him to strike out. His reputation as a great teammate never needed rebuilding. I don’t like disrespecting other great teammates. So what one thing you you had joined says he’s tied for first with the best teammates you could ever have. Biggio he whacks one to left and it is a two-run homer for Craig Biggio.
I hit a home run off him and I run around the bases and I hear somebody yelling at me, like cursing at me as I’m running around the bases. I didn’t, [snorts] you know, think anything of it, ran the bases, touched the base, then Biggio hit and came back later on and he goes, “Cuz man, did you hear Darryl yelling at you?” I go, “That was him? That was Darrell.
And uh cuz yeah, we’re cracking up laughing, right? So, season’s over. It’s like 2 weeks before Christmas, I get a phone call. It’s Darrell. And he goes uh “Hey, I want to apologize.” I’m like, “What are you apologizing for?” He goes, “I want to apologize for, you know, I should have never cursed at you, yelled at you.
” I go, “Dude, it’s the heat of the battle. It was a big game.” I go, “I love you. I don’t care.” He goes, “I should have never have done that. You know, you treated me so nicely when I was in Houston. You helped me when I was a younger player. You know, you were always there for me.” And that’s the type of person that Darrell was.
He was literally too good to be true. And you had to keep saying, “Was Was he really as great as we thought he was?” And the answer is yes. And those who knew Kyle best say that at the center of his life was his relationship with his wife, Flynn. I mean, he was just crazy about her. And um you know, anybody that’s known that knows them knows that.
Anytime someone pointed out, “Oh, there’s a There’s a pretty girl.” Darrell would say, “No, Flynn’s prettier.” Anytime he said something about a girl being pretty, we all looked at Darrell and go, “We know, Darrell. Flynn’s prettier.” We [snorts] were at the Galleria Mall and which was by the hotel in Houston, and I saw Darrell and Flynn walking down the the the mall hand in hand.
They looked like a young couple on a date. They just loved each other. I mean, like Like everybody wants to be loved, that’s what they had. It was just It was special to see. Darrell and Flynn were married in January of 1992. They had twins in 1997, and then a baby boy in 2001. He won’t change a diaper, that’s for sure.
I mean, he’s had a bad experience as a child with some really dirty diaper of his little brother’s, and he said he threw up and got sick. So, he feeds him and then he hands him over to me. I can only understand what it was like to be in that household. I mean, cuz he absolutely loved his family.
Hi. You want to laugh at me? I’ll repeat it till till the time you take the mic away. He was so perfect. It was not to be believed, but believe it. He was a good teammate, but he was such a great family man. And you just you see him with his children. With Flannery, it was uh Unfortunately, it didn’t last forever.
Wow. Kyle tried to get inside on him with a fastball, and I mean, he turned on that one, folks. Here comes Tony La Russa. Kyle’s day is done. The 2002 season didn’t start well for Darryl Kile. He had injured his shoulder the previous September, and had spent the off-season rehabbing it.
We got off to a sluggish start. It really affected him because he’s one of the team leaders. And he’s expected to be as good or better than anybody on our pitching staff. And he felt like he was letting everybody down. Kile began showing some improvement as his shoulder got stronger. Then came a June start against the Mariners.
Darryl Kile, couple of years ago, a 20-game winner for the St. Louis Cardinals, and he gets his second look at the Mariners tonight. Playing in Seattle, and I make Kyle mistakes, and they get a couple of hits. High fastball, and that ball is tapped to the deep right field. Drew to the track.
HE’S TO THE WALL AND IT WILL FLY AWAY. AND THE MARINERS HAVE a four-nothing lead. And all of a sudden, he’s shaking the catcher off. So, I don’t know, fourth, fifth inning, I go to get him. And he says, “You’re taking me out.” I said, “What do you mean? Do you want to tell me I ever challenged?” I said, “Yeah.” He says, “I can’t believe you’re taking me out of this game.
” I said, “Darryl, give me the ball.” And he walks off. Well, that’s going to be it for Darryl Kile, and we’ve got a new pitcher coming in, Mike Matthews, for the Cardinals. We fly home from Seattle. If I’m coming out of my office, and he’s coming out of he will goes out of the out of the door to avoid me.
So, he avoids me for like three or four days. And we all felt like cuz he felt like I embarrassed him. Something’s just not good. I say, “Darryl, you know, you’re important to us and and we got to get this thing straight now because the guys feel this is it’s not good for you, it’s not good for us.
” And he says, “No, don’t you you’re misunderstanding. It really wasn’t upset at you. It’s I’m upset at me. I’m just so tired of not being myself and letting our team down.” Cuz we lost that game. And I proceeded to explain to him how important he was to us, how we had all evaluated that he was right on the edge of getting better and better.
Just to relax, cut himself some slack, and shook my hand, walked out. Um Flynn later on tells me that he got home that night he’s different, you know, he’s oh man, these guys don’t think I’m a bum, they don’t think I’m letting down, they don’t you know, they he understood. To this day, I think imagine just personally if I had not had that conversation with him, and we had lost him.
That talk with his manager did indeed seem to be a turning point for Kyle’s season. On June 18th, 2002, Kyle started against the Angels. And he was terrific. On the inside corner and strikeout number five for Darryl Kile. Got him on the inside corner. A huge strikeout for Kile. Kyle pitched seven and two-thirds that night, scattering six hits, and allowing just one run.
Darryl Kile should receive a nice hand. A big ovation for Darryl Kile. He got the victory, and St. Louis moved into first place. What do you think of Darryl Kile tonight? He pitched tremendous. I mean, he he he hit his spots, he changed speeds, made solid. The one thing we know is if we’re going to go deep and go into postseason, you need to have Darryl Kile working his best.
It was Kyle’s best pitching performance of the year. His arm certainly felt better, and he had cleared the air with Tony La Russa. The best, it seemed, was surely to come. I’m talking about one of the real highs of of our of our season to that point. Hey, the big guy’s back. That’s You can’t overestimate how important that is to your club.
That same day, June 18th, 2002, the legendary Hall of Fame voice of the Cardinals, Jack Buck, passed away. Sad day for all of us in the broadcast business, the passing of our cohort, Jack Buck. Well, you need to understand to to great many fans, and this is no disrespect to the players, Jack is designated as the greatest Cardinal of all.
He gave his life to this organization, and this organization gave him life in many ways. So, it was you know, it was really a a blow to the St. Louis Cardinal organization. This is not an ordinary important, very famous member of our family. This is Jack Buck. On behalf of all of our family, thank you for everything.
You meant the world to Jack Buck, and we all as a family know how much he meant to you. Thank you. There was a picture at my dad’s memorial of Darryl Kile on the railing of the Cardinal dugout cuz the players were there watching it, and I wasn’t aware of it. I was basically the MC of that day, and Kile was leaning over the railing with his arms kind of crossed and watching the proceedings, and you know, 3 days later, they were right back in here doing it again.
It’s Saturday, June 22nd, 2002, and the Cardinals and Cubs are scheduled to play in Chicago at 2:00 p.m. Darryl Kile was scheduled to start Sunday’s night game, so when he isn’t at Wrigley by late morning, no one is overly concerned. But as time goes by, his teammates and his manager begin to worry. It was during batting practice that, you know, they pulled me off the field to say that you know, that Darryl still wasn’t there, and then you know, there now we were starting to trying to Hey, I just let’s what what’s going on
here? Now we’re starting to get concerned. Dave Veres came to me while we were getting loose for the game at Wrigley. And and and asked me if I’d heard anything from Darryl. Uh I knew his brother came in town the night before, so I just thought, you know, him and his brother went out, just you know, didn’t get up, missed the alarm, or whatever.
So I’m trying to call his cell phone, call the hotel, no answer. Efforts were being made to contact him. Uh not answering the phone, whether it’s hotel phone, not answering his cell phone. Batting practice was over, and uh was kind of congregating in the clubhouse, tiny clubhouse in Wrigley.
So everybody was kind of talking and wondering and you know, I’ll never forget one of the clubbies came up to me and and said, you know, I got a real bad feeling about this. So I call my wife. I’m like, I can’t get a hold of Daryl. Go to his room and see if, you know, see if see if he answers the door.
He’s not answering his cell phone. Barry Weinberg, our trainer, had called the hotel security and and tried to get them to go up to his room and and see if they could find out if he was there or what what had happened. I can’t remember if it was a chain type lock or bolt type lock, but they had to force it open to get in to get entrance into the room.
The phone rang and it was um Robin Veirs, Dave Veirs’ wife. And uh she said, “CJ, uh she said, have have the people from the hotel called you?” And I said, “Excuse me?” She goes, “CJ, have they called you?” I said, “No, Robin, what are you talking about?” She goes, “Daryl’s dead. Daryl’s dead.” And we jumped in a cab and uh went over to the Westin.
Uh they they wanted us to come in back to the hotel and uh and identify the body. You’re wondering, you know, was it uh you know, could it could it have been a suicide? Could it have been a murder? You know, you’re always wondering about those things. There was nothing, you know, bad, nothing scandalous, nothing on that order.
I walked in there and it looked like he was sleeping, but he was gone. Seeing him laying in bed. That was I’ll never lose that memory. Kyle had died in his sleep of a heart attack. The medical examiner found 90% blockages in two coronary arteries, and concluded Kyle died of natural causes.
Daryl’s father also died young of a heart attack, but Kyle’s condition was undetected in any of his physicals. Daryl Kyle was 33. So, what do we do now, you know? And that’s when I started making the calls back to Tony to talk to the team. Oh, boy. I I think I mean, I walked in and the guys knew that there were that there was a serious issue here, and uh um when I walked out there, I think at that point a lot of guys virtually everybody was fearing the worst.
And I went out there and confirmed it. I know that I escaped to a a small part of the corner in the trainer’s room. Um I I remember uh throwing a few things around. I remember uh looking around the the clubhouse at times and just seeing people just uh stuck in the spot. Just uh the magnitude of the sadness uh the devastation was beyond normal.
I mean, I don’t you know, normal would be really really bad. This was savage, brutal, because we was uh all that that meant to, you know, the family our team, and losing a friend, it was brutal. It was probably the worst you know, probably worst day of my life, you know, uh [snorts] Jeff Bagwell was one of the first players to know outside of the Cardinals.
Cubs outfielder Moises Alou had immediately called Darryl’s old minor league roommate. And I said, “Homeboy, what are you doing?” I said, “You got a game in like 20 minutes.” And he said, “I have to tell you something.” And I said, “What?” He goes, “Darryl’s dead.” I said, “What are you talking about?” He goes, “Darryl’s dead.
They found him in his hotel room.” And I said, “Don’t Don’t you tell me that.” Um uh worst phone call I’ve ever got. The Cardinals and Cubs are due to play on the afternoon of June 22nd, 2002 at Wrigley Field. And while both teams are now aware of Darryl Kile’s death, few others are, and that includes Darryl’s wife, Flynn.
Nearly 40,000 fans are waiting for the game to begin, and someone needs to tell them something. I remember it was it was almost like yesterday. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in the game. It was harder than taking my uniform off for the last time. I thank you for your patience. Um We regret to inform you because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family that the commissioner has canceled the game today.
They explained to me the situation. That they hadn’t been able to get a hold of Mrs. Kyle yet, so don’t say anything. And obviously, when my I made the announcement that the game would be canceled, I remember a gentleman screaming, you know, “Tell us why. Tell us why.” Please be respectful. You will find out eventually what has happened.
And um I ask that you say a prayer for the St. Louis Cardinal family. Dave Veres was Darryl Kile’s best friend. It’s around this time that Veres’ wife, Robin, gets in touch with Flynn Kile. I think she told her to sit down and need to tell you something and [snorts] so I can’t imagine.
Flynn Kile was notified just moments ago that her husband, Darryl, a 33-year-old right-handed pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals was found dead in his hotel room this morning. Therefore, this game has been canceled and all of us at Fox ask for your thoughts and prayers for his wife, Flynn, and his children.
He has twins the ages of 5 years old, Cannon and Sierra. He has a young son, Ryker, who is less than a year old. So, this game, understandably so, has been canceled. Darryl Kile is dead at the age of 33. That’s it from Wrigley Field. I’m Joe Buck. It was surreal. And once that had been accomplished then we were able to go down into the dugouts and and uh and interview people.
I believe we sat with La Russa. I mean, it’s it’s it’s I mean, he’s it was there was no bigger leader in our ball club. And uh in every way. Any healthy as far as health and attitude. I mean, I we’re we’re staggered. Sad news today from Chicago, where Darryl Kile, the star pitcher for the St.
Louis Cardinals baseball team, was found dead in his hotel room. NBC’s Jim Avila joins us from our Chicago bureau with more. Jim? John, a perfect day for baseball at one of America’s sports shrines canceled today. One in 30,000 fans sent home because of the sudden death of a St. Louis Cardinal pitcher at the team hotel. Bounced back and forth between disbelief and uh and sorrow, you know, that’s all I can say.
I feel like I needed to talk to you guys is for his family um and for people around baseball to know how much he meant to me and how much you know, I loved him. My thoughts and prayers are really uh with him and and his family. Uh it’s got to be little kids. [sighs] Yeah, it’s tough. You hate losing a teammate and what’s even worse, a friend, so I just feel for Flynn and the kids.
My wife talked to Flynn this morning and uh and she was a mess flying out to Chicago from San Diego, so [sighs] and uh I just I feel so bad for the family. Flynn Kile arrived in Chicago from San Diego on Saturday night. We were able to drive out there out there to the on the tarmac, uh pick her up and um and convey her down to the medical examiner’s office because that’s the first place that she wanted to go to.
And so we did that. She was walked back to a certain area that I did not go to and uh I guess to view the body. My wife and I went to the airport to pick her up. And I’ll never forget when she went in to see the body. You know, just like the scream. Now it’s Sunday morning and the Cardinals hold a team meeting to decide whether to play their game with the Cubs that night.
It’s a game that Darryl Kile was scheduled to start. In the end, the most important factor that we considered was what would Darryl have felt or if he’s watching us, what would he want us to do? Why was it important for the team to play today? How did you come to that final conclusion? I think the big thing with the way we all came together on the conclusion was that Darryl never wanted to miss a start and he never missed a start.
So, I think today he would he wouldn’t have wanted us to to miss the game. So, I think we all came together and we said we know let’s do what Darryl would want us to do and this is what he would definitely want us to do. He was a I mean incredible person you know character-wise he was amazing and a father and everything.
So, I mean that’s we’re going to stick by that and we’re going to play. But one of Kile’s teammates wasn’t so sure. His catcher thought back to a moment earlier in the season. I wasn’t swinging the bat well which wasn’t anything new. And I think Tony was planning on making a change to who Darryl’s catcher was going to be and it got to me through one of the other pitchers that Darryl went in and said if he’s not catching me then I’m I’m not pitching.
And I went in and respectfully told Tony that I knew that had happened and out of respect, you know, if he’s not pitching then I’m not going to catch. And it’s the Cubs and Cardinals, the two ancient rivals of the National League. However, there is no joy, not the kind of joy you would ordinarily associate. For the Cardinals. They’re hurting.
They lost one of their star players, Darryl Kile, yesterday, as you know by now. In a In a way, the most difficult telecast I ever worked because our job is to bring you a baseball game, which is a leisure time event. It’s just for fun. Enjoy it. Instead, our story was oppressively sad. And the thought of playing tonight, well, nobody really wanted to play.
However, they thought this would have been Darryl Kile’s night to pitch, and he prided himself on never missing a start. And so, they said, “We’ve got to play this game.” Ladies and gentlemen, at this time we ask that you please rise. Yesterday, the St. Louis Cardinals and Major League Baseball experienced the tragic loss of a very special person.
At this time, we ask that you please join us in a moment of silence to remember St. Louis Cardinals pitcher number 57 Darryl Kile. I kept saying to myself, “I can’t believe we’re playing this game.” I would watch each player walk up to to hit, and you could see the devastation, and you could see, you know, kind of in a daze, you’re thinking, “Why are we playing this game?” I just thought it was too soon.
The Cubs have won it 8-3 over the Cardinals. Kerry Wood with the win. Shingo Takatsu takes the loss. Again, all right, prayers, our thoughts to the Darryl Kile family and to all of the St. Louis Cardinals as they head down back to St. Louis minus their star right-hander. We are here to mourn the life of Darryl Kile.
DK’s tragic death is very hard for us to understand and to accept. On Wednesday, June 26th, 4 days after his death, the Cardinals held a memorial service for Darryl Kile at Busch Stadium. A devoted husband, father, a professional through and through. In the clubhouse and on this field, DK has impacted so many people in a powerful way, and that’s why so many are gathered here this afternoon.
I just remember Busch Stadium, almost the whole lower level was full. And you walked in and you just it was just everybody telling stories and and we could have stayed there for days. I can remember like it was yesterday how I felt for the last two innings with DK’s no-hitter. I’ve never wanted something for someone so much.
The guys felt strong strongly enough to come from from their teams to take a day off and and come to this service because it meant he meant so much to a lot of people. He touched a lot of people’s lives. Well, Darryl, I know you’re taking aerial photos of us now. Look at those pictures. They’re of your family.
And we love you and we miss you. You know, you know, you think of it, you sometimes you worry about the justice of stuff. You know, and there is no justice. It’s a good example. Three beautiful kids and beautiful wife and uh they were just getting ready to move into this new home that they built and he never had an opportunity to live in.
It was just a lot of a lot of tragic stuff that just uh it’s hard to understand why sometimes. Then just hours after the memorial service, Darryl’s 5-year-old son Kannon threw out the first pitch before that night’s game. Our pitcher is 5-year-old Kannon Kyle. Thank you, Kannon. The way those players treated Kannon Kyle and made him feel like, “Hey, you’ve got 25 fathers in here.
” It was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen and at one point Kannon Kyle said to Matt Morris, he said, “Matt, he said, ‘Where was my daddy’s locker?'” And Matt, without skipping a beat, took him over, you know, to a locker, empty locker, and he said, “Well, this is where he would dress here and your dad had this funny way of putting on his shoes and he did this and I mean and the kid’s face lit up and uh it’s something I’ll never forget.
That night, as the Cardinals prepared to play the Brewers, they had lost the two games they had played since Kyle’s death. And Tony La Russa wasn’t sure how to get his team focused on anything other than mourning their friend. We went through a period of games where the thing we pride ourselves the most, you know, this intense compet- competition was uh it wasn’t important.
Just get through it. We remember Darryl Kile and and the one thing that I think is important to talk about is his teammates. We grieve for his family and it will take them probably forever to get over this loss, but his teammates, according to Tony La Russa, right now are are in a cloud. They’re in a fog.
They’re still grieving. We had these discussions as a coaching staff. All right. At what point do we need to step forward and say, “Fellas, you know, life goes on.” And and not be insensitive, disrespectful. Really a tough, tough call. Impossible call to make. Until the newspaper and the article and I went, “Wow.
” And I literally sprinted to the park that night and told the coaches, “Hey, our man is helping us even after he’s gone.” So, I came across a story written in spring training when he was a young pitcher about how his dad had died suddenly and without much warning. I remember reading that story and said, “That’s it.
” His own words, I thought, would be the most powerful statement of all. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it, but my father was my best friend. But in order to be a man, you’ve got to separate your personal from your work life. Imagine that. Separate your personal from your work life. It may sound cold, but I’ve got work to do. I’ll never forget my father, but I’m sure he’d want me to keep on working and try to do the best that I can do.
And I went, “Look, I said, “Fellas, this is what we’ve all been struggling with. Coaches, managers, you guys.” I said, “He just told us what we got to do.” I think as a staff we were so certain that this was like a piece of magic that had been delivered to us that I knew as I was saying that that it would the timing was exactly right.
The words I couldn’t have said it. The words were exactly right. I mean literally guys were nodding. Yes. Yes. Yes. All right, those trying to snap a four-game losing streak trying to get back on the winning track and that is a tremendous play TO END THE NIGHT BY POLANCO. What a pick up and throw by Placido to give the Cardinals their first win since last Wednesday.
An emotional night and a Cardinal 5-2 victory. Really was uh uh was a statement that Darryl would would wanted to make that you know, you have to go on. You have to keep living your lives. You have to keep doing your job and and our job was to to play baseball and and uh try to win as many games as we could and it’s amazing how he still was inspiring the team.
From that night on, the Cardinals were 25 games over .500. Peña to [cheering] first. Got him. A sweep for the Cardinals. We were motivated. We we knew we were good first um and then we thought too, you know, you know, what a great tribute to Darryl. Uh what a great tribute to uh to to him and his family for us to go out and keep playing the game the right way. Wow, what a play by Edgar.
Cardinals win it 10-5. All of us thought about him frequently. Dug a little deeper and uh and realized we had a great chance to to do something special. Two balls and two strikes. FLY TO ROWLAND. HE’S GOT IT AND THE CARDINALS ARE HEADED TO POST SEASON PLAY. THEY ARE THE 2002 Central Division Champs. All the years that La Russ has been in the major leagues and being, you know, having the third most wins of any manager in the history of this game, I thought that was his best year. They were right there fighting for
a division, which is phenomenal considering the the grief that these guys went through. And then just the practical loss of of losing a guy like Darryl Kile on the field. I I thought that was the best job he did in his many, many years in St. Louis. Our players, I mean, they have my love and admiration because what they had to go deep to get through this.
They’re incredible champions and it’s a great story. I don’t know if anyone will ever be able to tell it right. For me, it was a victory for for a a group of guys that, you know, it’s it sounds a little corny, went on a mission to honor Darryl’s memory. I know there was no one that was closer to Darryl Kile than yourself.
You guys have been together in the minor leagues through three different ball clubs. This is really a tribute to him. There’s there’s no doubt about it. You know, this is obviously in honor of Darryl and you know, he I wish he was here. You know, it’s like I said, it’s bittersweet it’s bittersweet celebration.
You know, it’s Darryl helped get us here last three years. Without him, I don’t think we’d be here. So, it’s definitely an honor to him. You know, when he died, we had 40 wins. We ended up with 97. That’s 57, which is his uniform number. It’s pretty amazing. 10 years ago, June 22nd, 2002, Cardinal pitcher Darryl Kile died in his hotel room of a heart attack.
The team dedicated the rest of the season to their late teammate. And on September 20th, 3 months after Kile’s death, St. Louis clinches the National League Central. The St. Louis Cardinals are the 2002 Central Division champions. It will be an emotional night in that locker room. You saw the jersey of Darryl Kile on the field.
The fans were going wild with that. After winning their division, the Cardinals went on to play the defending World Series champion Diamondbacks in the first round of the playoffs. Swing and a miss. He sets him down in order. HE IS OUT AT THE PLAY. A SERIES THEY MADE QUICK work of. And this should do it. Vina from right field. And the Cardinals are moving on.
They have swept last year’s World Series champion Arizona three games to none. Darryl Kile’s jersey as it was when they clinched the division title, part of the celebration on the field. His jersey hung in the in the dugout all year. Uh his number was put in the bullpen. And uh wore the patch. There were a lot of things that, you know, to keep his memory.
Up next were the Giants in the NLCS. And it was there that the Cardinals magic finally ran out. And he lofted two on. That one to right field. Is it going to be the ballgame? Up with it. Play coming through. The throw to the plate. THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT. THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT. CONGRATULATIONS TO the San Francisco Giants.
They deserve to be in the World Series. Anything about the St. Louis side, they have been through a tremendous ride during the 2002 season. A lot of ups, a lot of downs. They lost their leader, 33-year-old pitcher Darryl Kile. Somehow able to hold together through that adversity and end up in the National League Championship Series.
I know you want the season to last longer, but this team does need a little bit of a break and you’re going to probably get away from baseball and not think about it for a while, right? Bull crap. We were going to play till Halloween. This team didn’t need a break. We were going to play till Halloween. This is a bad deal.
I was certain that this club was going to be rewarded with a World Series appearance. And the Giants beating us in five, I was to this day the most disappointed ever in uh toughest toughest loss. That’s the negative. The good thing was that team made it a point to just, you know, dedicate what we were doing.
Cleared all the cobwebs and we just played our butts off and ended up making it happen. I mean, they were I mean, they were courageous. They were heroic. It was wonderful. And that club made it uh a commitment to honor Darryl’s memory. A devoted husband, father, professional through and through in the clubhouse and on this field.
DK has impacted so many people in a powerful way. This young man was taken from a wife he loved, children he loved, friends he loved, and a game he loved. 10 years since the death of Darryl Kile. Holy cow. It’s been a lonely 10 years not having your best friend there to share with you. [snorts] 10 years later I can’t believe it’s been 10 years later to be honest with you.
I can still see myself walking out um on the third base line, you know, probably about 25 30 ft away from home plate. It’s just it’s still so vivid in my mind that it just it seems like it was more recent than that. But uh it’s 10 years ago. It’s a long time. The fact that you see his number hanging up in three different stadiums and three organizations he played with tells you the type of person Darryl was.
He didn’t change when he went from one organization to organization or he didn’t change with success or failure and he didn’t change with a different salary. He was always Darryl Kile. You know, I I love that that uh word legacy cuz I think it’s um something people don’t think enough about, but I I think that he did.
I think he was intentional. I think he was uh intentional about letting his kids and his uh his wife let them let them know how important they were to them. You know, when you talk about kids and he loved his kids. So and um the most important thing to him in his life is family, his wife, his kids.
You know, you have one name on your back and your dad gave it to you and he was proud of it. And um you know, and then they understand it and God knows it’s been probably difficult, you know, without their dad. And um but their dad has left a legacy that, you know, is one that you’ll never forget. When you start talking about a legacy, it’s how you influence people.
And uh and and I think you’re going find out not just from me, but every person that you’re going to have this conversation with, they’re going to talk about that. He is as great as everybody that’s talking in this show about him says he is. I mean, I don’t know how you could improve Darryl Kile as a person or as a teammate.
I I don’t know how you could do that. I just remember the day I walked into the clubhouse when I got called up. He met me at the door gave me a big hug, told me how happy he was and proud he was of me and he was just genuine. He was real. I mean, he just uh Yeah, you just you want to pattern your life after the way Darryl Kile did it.
He was a great father, a great husband, a great guy, cared about people. That’s what I want to be in my life and that’s who Darryl Kile was.
