Ken Suarez

Kenneth Raymond Suarez

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 175 lb.
• School Florida State University
• High School Jesuit High School (Tampa)
• Debut April 14, 1966
• Final Game September 22, 1973
• Born April 12, 1943 in Tampa, FL USA
• Died July 28, 2023 in Fort Worth, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

In 1964, Ken Suarez played with the US amateur team that toured the Orient. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Kansas City Athletics before the 1965 season. His first professional hit was a grand slam, while playing for the Lewiston Broncs.

On April 14, 1966, he made his big league debut at the age of 23 against pitcher Jim Kaat of the Minnesota Twins. He went 0 for 2 in his first big league game.

He hit the first home run of his career in 1967, on April 16th versus Mickey Lolich of the Detroit Tigers. He hit the second home run of his career in his next game, on April 19th, against his future teammate Sonny Siebert of the Cleveland Indians. On November 28th, he was drafted by the Indians from the Athletics via the 1967 Rule V Draft.

On December 2, 1971, he was traded to the Texas Rangers with Roy Foster, Rich Hand, and Mike Paul for Del Unser, Denny Riddleberger, Terry Ley, and Gary Jones.

On June 16, 1972 he broke up a Jim Palmer bid for a perfect game. Palmer had retired the first 25 batters, however Suarez singled with one out in the 9th inning.

Although he didn't play in the majors after the 1973 season, he was still active in the minor leagues. On February 12, 1974, he was traded back to the Indians for Leo Cardenas, and on September 12th he was traded to the California Angels for Frank Robinson.

Further Reading

• Bo Carter: "Ken Suarez", in Steve West and Bill Nowlin, eds.: The Team That Couldn't Hit: The 1972 Texas Rangers, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2019, pp. 224-227. ISBN 978-1-943816-93-4

Related Sites

• Ken Suarez at the SABR Bio Project