Darryl Kile

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Darryl Kile : biography

December 2, 1968 – June 22, 2002

Cubs catcher Joe Girardi announced at Wrigley Field that the afternoon’s game versus the Cardinals had been canceled, though he did not announce that the cancellation was prompted by Kile’s death. Girardi tearfully gave the news at 2:37 p.m. CDT, broadcast regionally on Fox: "I thank you for your patience. We regret to inform you because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family, that the commissioner has canceled the game today. Please be respectful. You will find out eventually what has happened, and I ask that you say a prayer for the Cardinals’ family." The game was rescheduled and made up later in the year on August 31, a 10–4 Cardinal defeat. Jason Simontacchi, who pitched for the Cardinals, was visibly emotional during the game since Kile was a mentor to him. Later that season, when the Cardinals clinched the Central Division championship in a game against the Astros, teammate Albert Pujols carried Kile’s #57 jersey, on a hanger, to the celebration on the field. Kile was survived by his wife, Flynn, his twins, daughter Sierra and son Kannon, and son Ryker.

Memorial

The Cardinals honored Kile by placing a small "DK 57" sign in the home bullpen. This sign was carried over to the new Busch Stadium and remains today. The team wrote "DK 57" on their hats. The team put chalk and markers in the Busch Stadium concourses so fans could write similar messages on their caps. In the All-Star Game, former pitcher Matt Morris wrote DK 57 on his hands and held them up when they announced his name in honor of his fallen teammate and close friend.

Since Kile’s death, the Astros, Rockies, and Cardinals have not assigned number 57 to another player, although none of those teams has formally retired the number.

The Astros honored Kile with a memorial plaque that hangs along the left field wall at Minute Maid Park under the 1997 Central Division Championship banner, the last season Kile played for Houston before signing with Colorado. The Rockies have a memorial near the bullpens. It is circular, says "DK 57," and is on pinstripes.

In 2003, the Darryl Kile Good Guy AwardSee Houston Astros award winners and league leaders#Darryl Kile Award and St. Louis Cardinals award winners and league leaders#Darryl Kile Award. was established and is presented annually to the Astros player and Cardinals player who best exemplify Kile’s traits of "a good teammate, a great friend, a fine father and a humble man." The winners are selected, respectively, by the Houston and St. Louis chapters of the Baseball Writers Association of America.. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved 2011-08-14. The first recipient of the award on the Astros was Jeff Bagwell. The first recipient of the award on the Cardinals was Mike Matheny.

Kile was given an exemption by the Baseball Writers Association of America and placed on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. With seven votes, he was eliminated from future BBWAA ballot consideration.