Darryl Kile (1968-2002)

In the game room of his home, Matt Galante has a framed box score of the no-hitter that Darryl Kile pitched for the Houston Astros against the New York Mets on September 8, 1993. That's how close Galante was to Kile, the Cardinals' right-hander who died suddenly at 33 Saturday, sending shock waves through Major League Baseball.

"He was a great kid, he was like one of my kids," said Galante, who was an Astros coach when Kile played in Houston. "I'll never understand what life brings. I saw the news on television and didn't believe it at first. At 33, you think you'd have a long life to live. More important than his being a good pitcher was the fact he was a good person."

Galante, now a Mets coach, recalls Kile's kindness when Galante's son signed with St. Louis a few years back. Kile took the younger Galante under his wing by taking him to dinner a few times and leaving shoes in his locker.

Nobody could comprehend how a young and gifted professional athlete seemingly in the prime of his life could suddenly be gone. Pittsburgh first base coach Tommy Sandt had the same job for Colorado in 1999 when Kile pitched for the Rockies. "I'm shocked," Sandt said. "He's a 33-year-old player that you think is in good health and, all of a sudden, he's gone. He never once made an excuse that he shouldn't have signed there or that the curveball didn't break there. He went out and took the ball (every turn). He was a true professional."The Kile tragedy, Sandt said, just shows how precious life is. "I guess it just shows you how fast it can happen," Sandt said. "You have a professional baseball player in the prime of his life and now he is gone. It proves it can happen to anyone."

Darryl Kile was born on December 2, 1968 in Garden Grove, CA. He was selected in the 30th round by the Houston Astros in the 1987 MLB draft. He made his Major League debut with the Astros in 1991, going 7-11 in his rookie season while pitching with a respectable 3.69 ERA. After a 5-10 season in 1992, Kile had a breakout year in 1993 posting a 15-8 record, and throwing a no hitter.

Kile would struggle over the next few season finishing 9-6, 4-12, and 12-11 respectively while posting an ERA over 4.00 in each season. However in 1997 in a contract year Kile would win 19 games with a 2.57 ERA pitching the Astros to the playoffs.

Following the season Kile would sign a multi-year million-dollar deal with the Colorado Rockies. However in the thin air of Coors Field Kile's curve ball did not curve, and his breaking ball did not break and he struggled mightily. Going 13-17 with a 5.20 ERA in 1998, and 8-13 with a 6.61 ERA in 1999.

After 2 terrible seasons in Colorado, Kile was traded to St. Louis where his career was revitalized. Kile would win 20 games, while finishing 5th in Cy Young voting leading the Cards to a Central Division title, as they advanced to the NLCS, before losing in 5 games to the Mets. In 2001 Darryl Kile was the guts of the Cardinals' pitching staff again. He led the club in innings, and could have possibly won a half-dozen more than the 16 victories he wound up earning. Kile was a true staff leader, never missing a turn and working at least six innings in all but five starts.

Kile had off-season shoulder surgery but worked through the pain in 2002. He was off to a slow start but had been pitching better lately as strength returned to his left arm. Kile had won 4 of his last 5 starts after a 1-3 start. Perhaps his best outing came on Tuesday June 25th when he pitched the Cards into first place with a 7-2 win over the Anaheim Angels.

Kile was scheduled to pitch again Sunday Night against the Chicago Cubs; instead teammates took the field that day with heavy hearts for a lost teammate, a lost leader, and a lost friend. Darryl Kile is survived by a wife, twin 5-year-old girls, and a 10-month-old infant, he was only 33.