ESPN broadcaster John Kruk taken from Dodger Stadium press box on stretcher

It took a .465 average in spring training of 1986 for Kruk to force his way into the Padres’ plans. They found that Kruk, while no Gold Glover, was surprisingly athletic for a guy who looked like a panda wearing a rubber mask. Hitting almost exclusively to the opposite field and selective, Kruk was good for .300 averages and .400 on-base percentages annually. The left-handed hitter was usually platooned a bit -- whereas he had some pop against right-handed pitching, he was just a patient .270 hitter. He finished his career with .300/.397/.446 averages, .314/.416/.482 against right-handers. His 134 career OPS+ is in the top 130 all time.

He was tremendously fun to watch. At the plate, Kruk had quick hands and a good eye, so that he was able to wait on the ball just a little bit longer than the average hitter. The extra instant of time this afforded him on each pitch meant not just relatively few strikeouts and some extra walks, but the ability to drive the ball hard the other way; Kruk wasn’t just blooping the ball over the infield, he was hitting doubles and home runs.

Kruk was responsive as he left the press box on a stretcher, saying he was “drinking tons of water,” per Jimmy Bramlett of LAist.

Kruk is in his 10th season at ESPN, and his first as part of ESPN’s three-person booth for its signature weekly Major League Baseball broadcast. The former All-Star first baseman is usually teamed with fellow analyst Orel Hershiser and play-by-play broadcaster Dan Shulman.