Former New York Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek turns 77 today. Kubek had a short career, all spent with the Yankees from 1957-65. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1957 and a 4 time All-Star and played on three Yankee World Championship teams.

The most famous play of Kubek’s career is one he would like to forget. In Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.In the 8th inning with the Yanks up 7-4  A ground ball was hit to Kubek by Bill Virdon, a double play ball but  on the last hop it hit a pebble and struck Kubek in the throat. Virdon reached first base, Kubek was badly injured and had to leave the game and be taken to the hospital. The infield at Forbes Field was notoriously hard and difficult for infielders.This opened the flood gates.  The Pirates would score 5 runs that inning highlighted by Hal Smith’s home run. The Yanks would score 2 in the top of the 9th to tie it at 9-9. Then Bill Mazeroski won it for the Pirates with a home run leading off the bottom of the 9th.

This was the beginning of the end of Kubek’s career. He would miss a lot of time in the next few years with injuries before retiring at the age of 30.

Kubek would go on to have a career as a baseball announcer most famously as Curt Gowdy’s partner on the NBC Game of the Week. I always enjoyed Kubek’s analysis. He was always very outspoken. Kubek retired from announcing in 1994. He was very bitter about the strike and claims to have not seen a major league baseball game since.