George Kernek

George Boyd Kernek

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 170 lb.
• School University of Oklahoma
• High School Holdenville High School
• Debut September 5, 1965
• Final Game May 8, 1966
• Born January 12, 1940 in Holdenville, OK USA
• Died August 14, 2022 in Purcell, OK USA

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Biographical Information

George Kernek was a highly-touted first baseman who for a while was seen as the replacement for Bill White at first base for the St. Louis Cardinals. George came up originally in September of 1965 and then was the Opening Day first baseman in 1966 under manager Red Schoendienst. Kernek had spent most of 1965 in the minors working on hitting with more power. However, George started 1966 slowly with the bat, showing little power, and in May the Cards traded for Orlando Cepeda. George went on to hit 18 homers for the Tulsa Oilers that year, tying for the team lead. However, Cepeda kept the job from 1966 to 1968, winning the MVP Award in 1967.

Kernek was traded by the Cardinals to the Chicago White Sox in October 1967 for Jim Hicks [1]. After 2 years in AAA for the Sox, he was purchased by the Indianapolis Indians on Christmas of 1969 [2].

Kernek's minor league career ran ten years, of which five were with Tulsa.

Main source: George Kernek.