Russell Jay "Rusty" Kuntz ( /ˈkʌnts/; born February 4, 1955, in Orange, California) is a retired American Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He is an alumnus of California State University, Stanislaus.
Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 11th round of the 1977 MLB amateur draft, he then spent two seasons in the minor leagues. Kuntz made his Major League Baseball debut with the White Sox on September 1, 1979. After being u...
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Russell Jay "Rusty" Kuntz ( /ˈkʌnts/; born February 4, 1955, in Orange, California) is a retired American Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He is an alumnus of California State University, Stanislaus.
Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 11th round of the 1977 MLB amateur draft, he then spent two seasons in the minor leagues. Kuntz made his Major League Baseball debut with the White Sox on September 1, 1979. After being used sparingly by the Sox for four seasons, Kuntz was traded to the Minnesota Twins, then to the Detroit Tigers after the 1983 season. In 1984, while still with Detroit, Kuntz had the best numbers of his career: a .286 average and a .393 on-base percentage, although he appeared in only 84 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter and fourth outfielder.
In the fifth and deciding game of the 1984 World Series against the San Diego Padres, Kuntz pinch-hit for designated hitter Johnny Grubb with the bases loaded and the score tied at three. Kuntz hit a pop...
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