Paul Kirsch

Paul David Kirsch

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 187 lb.
• School University of Oregon

• Born June 21, 1956 in Eugene, OR USA
• Died September 5, 2021 in Tualatin, OR USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

First baseman Paul "P.K." Kirsch played 7 seasons of minor league ball (1977-1983), including three in the Cincinnati Reds chain: 1981 Tampa Tarpons, 1982 Cedar Rapids Reds, and 1982-1983 Waterbury Reds.

While playing for the independent Victoria Mussels of the short-season Class A Northwest League in 1978, Kirsch pitched in one game and gave up a pinch-hit single to comedian Bill Murray. Decades later he admitted that he grooved the pitch. It was his third and final professional pitching appearance.

Kirsch managed in the Reds, Kansas City Royals, and Florida Marlins chains. He was a scout for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999, and has been the scouting supervisor since 2000. He was also a coach for the 1984-1986 Cedar Rapids Reds and was the hitting coach for the 1991-1993 Portland Beavers.

As a scout, he signed Isaac Benard, Dustin Biell, Trevor Brigden, Joey Dettrich, Jason Hammel, Rich Dorman, Spencer Jones, Brandon Mann and Zach Rosscup. He died of COVID-19 in 2021 despite having been vaccinated; he had Lou Gehrig Disease and an unvaccinated caregiver exposed him to the illness.

Further Reading

• Gary Belleville: "July 26, 1978: Comedian Bill Murray smacks pinch-hit single in Northwest League game," SABR Baseball Games Project.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1986	Cedar Rapids Reds	Midwest League	20-14	7th	Cincinnati Reds		replaced Gene Dusan (50-56) July 28
1987	Cedar Rapids Reds	Midwest League	70-70	8th	Cincinnati Reds
1988	Eugene Emeralds	Northwest League	38-38	5th (t)	Kansas City Royals
1989	Eugene Emeralds	Northwest League	43-33	2nd	Kansas City Royals
1990	Eugene Emeralds	Northwest League	30-46	7th	Kansas City Royals
1995	Elmira Pioneers	New York-Penn League	25-51	12th	Florida Marlins