Houston Sports - Darryl Kile

Darryl Kile

Born: December 2, 1968

Sport: Baseball (133-119 pitching record, 3-time All-Star)

Sometimes sports go through trends.  I grew up in the golden age of basketball centers, with Olajuwon competing with the likes of Ewing, Robinson, Mutumbo, Mourning, and O'Neal.  Then for a period of time teams like the Golden State Warriors practically ignored the center position in favor of shooters specializing in the 3-pointer.  In football there have been changes in the rules that have shifted the focus for many teams away from defense and running toward a high-scoring passing attack.  In baseball, it seems that players of recent years focus on power more than average during each at-bat, which has combined with improved relief pitching to a decrease in baserunners and scoring.  Last season, for instance, all major league players averaged .245 over the year compared to .270 back in 2000.  That said, occurrences of no-hitters has not increased - in 2025 there wasn't a single game when a team failed to get at least one hit.  The Houston Astros, however, are a statistical outlier and their pitchers have recorded 5 of the last 11 no-hitters, including last Monday when three men combined to shut down the Texas Rangers for a 9-0 victory.  I've already posted on several Astros players that have been involved in no-hitters in the past, but this week I wanted to take a look at the story of a well-loved member of the franchise who died way too young while still playing the game he loved: Darryl Kile.

In the shadow of Southern California's Crystal Cathedral, as well as nearby Anaheim's Angel Stadium, Darryl Kile was born to David and Beverly Kile.  After the young man's 5th grade year the family moved to Norco, CA, where David played a pivotal, albeit unintentional, role in his son's baseball life as a 10-year-old Darryl had to use his father's glove because it was the only one the family had.  Darryl was naturally left-handed, but he decided it was easier to just switch hands rather than buy a new glove, so he forced himself to learn the game with his non-dominant side and became a right-handed pitcher.  Undersized for his age and with low velocity, Kile struggled to compete with his peers by the time he was attending Norco High School and didn't make the varsity team until his junior year.  The fact that he had started school early and was a year younger than everyone else in his grade probably didn't help his situation.  By the time he graduated in 1985 there wasn't a single college team that had recruited Kile or offered him a scholarship, so he enrolled in a junior college in nearby Rancho Cucamonga to play baseball as a walk-on.  That school, Chaffey Junior College, was the same school where Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers had attended years before.  Kile added three inches after his freshman year, topping off at 6' 5", and increased his fastball by an average of 13 mph.  When he recorded a 10-2 record with a 2.12 ERA during his second season, Kile heard his name called in the 30th round of the 1987 MLB Draft.  The Astros then offered him a bonus that aligned more closely with first-round money, $105,000, and Kile left school for the minor leagues.

As soon as he joined the Astros farm system, Darryl Kile had to face obstacles as the franchise banned the use of the slider in the minor leagues.  The slider just happened to be the young man's best pitch, so he was forced to adjust.  Kile responded by learning to throw a curveball against a brick wall, and it would eventually become one of the best in all of baseball.  His ascent to the major leagues was slow, but by 1991 he was finally ready to make his debut, and he made the most of his opportunity.  Through six innings in his first start with the Astros, Kile had a no-hitter going.  He wasn't able to continue in his attempt to make history, however, as manager Art Howe pulled him in order to preserve the young man's arm.  Having made it to the big leagues, Kile proposed to his girlfriend Flynn.  The couple were married the following January and would eventually have three children together.  Despite a sub-4.00 ERA in each of his first two seasons, Kile scuffled to a losing record both years.  In 1993, however, he finally broke out as an impact player but it was in the wake of tragedy.  On the first day of spring training that year, Kile received a call that his father, David, had suffered a stroke that soon claimed his life at just 44 years of age.  Perhaps motivated by the loss of someone with whom he was so close, Kile pitched to a 15-8 record that season, was selected to his first All-Star team, and wrapped up the season on September 8 by no-hitting the New York Mets.  It was the first no-hitter since Mike Scott's famous gem that clinched a division title in 1986, and would be the final no-hitter ever pitched in the Houston Astrodome.  After a pair of down years Kile was able to rebound during the 1996 season to reach 200+ strikeouts for the first time.  Then in 1997 everything came together as Kile put together a 19-7 record, a second All-Star appearance, earned votes for both Cy Young and MVP honors for the first time, and stormed into the playoffs with a hopeful Astros team.  Unfortunately, his only postseason start against the Atlanta Braves that year resulted in just one run of support from the Astros offense, and Kile ended up being the tough-luck loser as Houston was swept.

Heading into the 1997 offseason, Darryl Kile was able to weigh his options on where he would continue his career.  Despite having multiple offers, he chose to sign a three-year contract with the Colorado Rockies.  For a pitcher who depended on breaking pitches, especially his curveball, Kile's choice to go to a place known for having thin air that tended to flatten out that sort of action was questionable at best.  Even Kile's manager admitted that he had fielded some comments about the sanity and logic of the decision.  The results in Colorado were not great, as Kile led all of baseball in losses in 1998, followed by giving up the most earned runs in the National League in 1999.  The Rockies gave up on Kile and traded him to St. Louis before the 2000 season, but it was just the change of scenery that the pitcher needed.  He soared to a 20-9 record with better than three strikeouts per walk, and in achieving his first career 20-win season Kile was also the first Cardinals pitcher to reach that threshold in 15 years.  He won his first and only playoff win that year, getting a measure of revenge against the Atlanta Braves in the division series before falling to the Mets in the NLCS.  In 2001 Kile again recorded a strong season with a 16-11 record and 3.09 ERA, despite shoulder issues that required offseason surgery.  As a veteran and recognized leader in the clubhouse, he was able to finish rehab prior to the season, and in fact he never spent a single day on the disabled list during his entire career.  After a somewhat pedestrian start to the year, Kile appeared to have started turning his season around with a win on June 18 that elevated St. Louis to first place in their division.  Four days later, while on a road trip to face the rival Chicago Cubs, Kile did not show up to the ballpark for team activities.  When hotel staff entered his room, they discovered that Kile had died in his sleep from what was later ruled to be atherosclerosis.  A blood clot in one of his arteries was eerily reminiscent of the clot that had killed his father.  Kile was just 33 years old.  When the Cardinals eventually clinched a playoff spot, incidentally against the Houston Astros, Kile's memory was honored as rookie teammate Albert Pujols brought his #57 jersey onto the field during the celebration.  Both the Houston and St. Louis organizations rallied around the Kile family to support Darryl's children, and both teams honor his legacy with an annual Darryl Kile Good Guy Award to one player from each squad who exemplifies his traits.  The ballpark in St. Louis has a marker that reads "DK57" in front of the home team's bullpen, while the 1997 NL Central division pennant above Houston's field carries the initials "DK".  Although his number was not officially retired, none of the three franchises where Kile pitched used his uniform number for 20 years following his death.

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