| Kirk McCaskill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1961-04-09)April 9, 1961 (age 64) Kapuskasing,Ontario, Canada | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 1, 1985, for the California Angels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 20, 1996, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 106–108 |
| Earned run average | 4.12 |
| Strikeouts | 1,003 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Member of the Canadian | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2003 |
Kirk Edward McCaskill (born April 9, 1961) is a Canadian-American formerMajor League Baseballpitcher and former professionalice hockey player. He played inMajor League Baseball for theCalifornia Angels andChicago White Sox between 1985 and 1996, and played in theAmerican Hockey League for theSherbrooke Jets during the 1983–84 season.
McCaskill was born inKapuskasing, Ontario, where his fatherTed McCaskill was playing for the local senior league hockey team at that time.[1] As a child, McCaskill moved several times due to his father's professional hockey career, spending time inNashville,Memphis,Vancouver,Phoenix,Newport Beach andHuntington Beach.[1] McCaskill's father retired from hockey in 1975 after which his family settled inParadise Valley, Arizona.[1]
McCaskill attendedEdison High School in Huntington Beach his freshman year before being accepted atTrinity-Pawling School inPawling, New York. He moved to the boarding school mainly to pursue his hockey career, but continued to play baseball while there.[1] 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.[1] He turned down a baseball scholarship toArizona State University so that he could pursue both hockey and baseball at theUniversity of Vermont.[1] In 1980, he playedcollegiate summer baseball in theCape Cod Baseball League for theYarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.[2]
All-ECAC in baseball and hockey as a collegiate student-athlete, McCaskill was drafted in the fourth round of the 1982 amateur draft by theCalifornia Angels (88th overall), from theUniversity of Vermont, and would be the first baseball player from UVM to reach the major leagues sinceJack Lamabe in 1962. He debuted in 1985, and his break-out season was 1986 with theAmerican League West championCalifornia Angels. He compiled a win–loss record of 17–10, with a 3.36earned run average and 202strikeouts. 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 theAmerican League top ten in shutouts andearned run average three times each during his career.
On September 14, 1990, McCaskill surrendered back-to-back home runs toKen Griffey Sr. andKen Griffey Jr., who became the first father-son duo in MLB history to accomplish the feat.
McCaskill was inducted into theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2003, along withJoe Carter, Richard Bélec, and theAsahi. 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."
McCaskill played center and right wing for the University of Vermont from 1979 to 1983, and in 1982 was a finalist for theHobey Baker Award 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 theWinnipeg Jets in the1981 NHL Entry Draft, 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 theVermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-ECAC HockeyFirst Team | 1981–82 | [3] |
| AHCAEast All-American | 1981–82 | [4] |
McCaskill and his wife, Dana, have three sons, Riley, Reese, and Bennett, and currently reside inCardiff by the Sea,California.
McCaskill holds both dual Canadian and U.S. citizenships.
He became the head baseball coach atThe Bishop's School inLa Jolla, California, in November 2020, having previously been the head coach atTorrey Pines High School in San Diego.[5]
· Baseball Almanac