On This Date in Sports August 29, 1977: Power From the Powerless
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
After four seasons and 1,382 at-bats, Duane Kuiper of the Cleveland Indians finally hits his first Major League Home Run of his career. Kuiper’s home run comes in the first inning against Steve Stone of the Chicago White Sox, helping pace the Tribe to a 9-2 win at Municipal Stadium. It would be the only home in Kuiper’s 12-year career spanning 3,379 at-bats.
Duane Kuiper, the light-hitting second baseman, was born on June 19, 1950, in Racine, Wisconsin. He made his debut with the Cleveland Indians on September 9, 1974. While he struggled to hit home runs, Kuiper was a solid hitter as he batted .500, with 11 hits in 22 at-bats after his call-up. In his first full season, Kuiper hit .292, followed by a .263 average in 1976.
In 1977, Duane Kuiper finished with a .277 average; his lone home run came during a Monday Night Baseball Game on ABC, so the video has been readily available and often shown at his expense. That night the Indians also got home runs from Andre Thornton and Bruce Bochete in the first inning as part of a nine-run onslaught. After the home run, Kuiper added another hit in four at-bats, with an RBI single in the eighth inning. Cleveland beat the Chicago White Sox 9-2, with Rick Waits pitching a complete game to improve to 8-5. The Indians, in another lackluster season, held a 61-69 record after the game.
Duane Kuiper played with the Indians through the end of the 1981 season, making 2,865 at-bats, with 786 hits; 670 were singles, as he had 79 doubles and 26 triples and the one home run while posting a .274 average. Kuiper was not a big base stealer either, as he managed just 50 while being caught 67 times in his eight seasons in Cleveland. Kuiper was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Ed Whitson after the 1981 season. He would play four seasons with the Giants without a home run in 514 at-bats in the National League. Duane Kuiper batted .255 with the Giants with 131 hits in part-time duty over four seasons. All but 15 hits were singles, with 12 doubles and three triples, stealing two bases in six attempts. Duane Kuiper had 917 career hits; all but 121 of those hits were singles, while his .271 average was respectable.
After his playing days ended in 1985, Duane Kuiper went into the broadcast booth. He has been a Giants announcer since, missing just one season in 1993, when he worked with the Colorado Rockies after the team nearly moved to Tampa Bay. Over the last three decades, Kuiper had called many of the Giants great moments, with the team even giving away a bobblehead to commemorate the home run when the Giants hosted the Indians in 2014.