06/22/2002 4:20 PM EDT
By RICK GANO
(AP) St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Darryl Kile pitches during the third inning against the...
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CHICAGO (AP) - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile was found dead in the team hotel Saturday, a spokesperson for the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said.
The spokesperson, who declined to give her name, did not provide information about the cause of death.
The Cardinals' game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field was called off. It will be made up sometime in August.
Joe Girardi, the Cubs' player representative, addressed the fans and told them the game was called because of a "tragedy in the Cardinals' family."
The death was the second in the Cardinals' organization this week.
Kile, 33, pitched the Cardinals into first place in the NL Central on Tuesday night, the same night longtime broadcaster Jack Buck died at 77 after a long illness.
Kile and his wife, Flynn, have 5-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, and a son who was born last August.
Several stunned players walked out of the Cardinals' clubhouse without comment soon after the game was called without comment.
Kile had the day off and was scheduled to start the final game of the series Sunday. He was 5-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 14 games this season.
Shortly before the game was supposed to start at 2:20 p.m. CDT, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa came out of the dugout and walked across the field to meet with Cubs general manager Andy MacPhail and Girardi. Then all the Cubs came out of the dugout and got behind Girardi.
Speaking in front of the dugout on a microphone, Girardi told the crowd there had been a "tragedy" and asked fans to pray for the Cardinals' family organization
La Russa, who'd earlier shaken hands with Cubs manager Don Baylor, walked back across the field.
The Cubs filed back into their dugout and down the steps into the clubhouse runway and then an official announcement was made in the press box that the game was off and will be made up later.
Kile had won three of his last four starts, and had a solid work ethic.
"Once you take the ball, you've got a job to do," he said after his last start.
Kile, who was 16-11 with a 3.09 ERA and threw 227 1-3 innings last year, had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder during the offseason.
He pitched a no-hitter while with Houston in 1993 against the New York Mets. He was 133-119 in 11-plus major league seasons and known for an exceptional curveball.
Kile's best season was 2000, when he went 20-9 with a 3.91 ERA in his first year with St. Louis - finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting. He also helped St. Louis advance to the NL championship series against the Mets that season.
Kile was traded to St. Louis from Colorado, along with pitchers Dave Veres and Luther Hackman on Nov. 16, 1999, for pitchers Jose Jimenez, Manny Aybar and Rick Croushore and infielder Brent Butler.
A 30th-round pick of the Astros in 1987, Kile was called up to the majors in 1991 and went 7-11. He spent his first seven major league seasons with Houston, finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 1997 after going 19-7 with a 2.57 ERA.
Kile signed with Colorado during the offseason and struggled in his two seasons with the Rockies. He led the league in losses with 17 in 1998 and was 21-30 with Colorado.
By RICK GANO
(AP) St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Darryl Kile pitches during the third inning against the...
Full Image
CHICAGO (AP) - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile was found dead in the team hotel Saturday, a spokesperson for the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said.
The spokesperson, who declined to give her name, did not provide information about the cause of death.
The Cardinals' game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field was called off. It will be made up sometime in August.
Joe Girardi, the Cubs' player representative, addressed the fans and told them the game was called because of a "tragedy in the Cardinals' family."
The death was the second in the Cardinals' organization this week.
Kile, 33, pitched the Cardinals into first place in the NL Central on Tuesday night, the same night longtime broadcaster Jack Buck died at 77 after a long illness.
Kile and his wife, Flynn, have 5-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, and a son who was born last August.
Several stunned players walked out of the Cardinals' clubhouse without comment soon after the game was called without comment.
Kile had the day off and was scheduled to start the final game of the series Sunday. He was 5-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 14 games this season.
Shortly before the game was supposed to start at 2:20 p.m. CDT, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa came out of the dugout and walked across the field to meet with Cubs general manager Andy MacPhail and Girardi. Then all the Cubs came out of the dugout and got behind Girardi.
Speaking in front of the dugout on a microphone, Girardi told the crowd there had been a "tragedy" and asked fans to pray for the Cardinals' family organization
La Russa, who'd earlier shaken hands with Cubs manager Don Baylor, walked back across the field.
The Cubs filed back into their dugout and down the steps into the clubhouse runway and then an official announcement was made in the press box that the game was off and will be made up later.
Kile had won three of his last four starts, and had a solid work ethic.
"Once you take the ball, you've got a job to do," he said after his last start.
Kile, who was 16-11 with a 3.09 ERA and threw 227 1-3 innings last year, had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder during the offseason.
He pitched a no-hitter while with Houston in 1993 against the New York Mets. He was 133-119 in 11-plus major league seasons and known for an exceptional curveball.
Kile's best season was 2000, when he went 20-9 with a 3.91 ERA in his first year with St. Louis - finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting. He also helped St. Louis advance to the NL championship series against the Mets that season.
Kile was traded to St. Louis from Colorado, along with pitchers Dave Veres and Luther Hackman on Nov. 16, 1999, for pitchers Jose Jimenez, Manny Aybar and Rick Croushore and infielder Brent Butler.
A 30th-round pick of the Astros in 1987, Kile was called up to the majors in 1991 and went 7-11. He spent his first seven major league seasons with Houston, finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 1997 after going 19-7 with a 2.57 ERA.
Kile signed with Colorado during the offseason and struggled in his two seasons with the Rockies. He led the league in losses with 17 in 1998 and was 21-30 with Colorado.