Johnny Kucks Dies at 81.

Johnny Kucks, who played baseball on the Dickinson High School Baseball Team in the early 1950s died on 31 October 2013 in Saddle River, NJ.  Read his obituary below.

If anyone would like to leave a comment in the 'Guest Book' for the family, click on Johnny's picture below.

This is the DHS Baseball Team in June 1950.  Johnny is in the 2d Row, left end.

John Charles Kucks (July 27, 1933 – October 31, 2013)[1] was a pitcher for the New York Yankees and Kansas City Athletics in Major League Baseball. In 1952, he was signed as an amateur free agent. Johnny Kucks won the final game of the 1956 World Series between the Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers,shutting out the Dodgers, 9–0 at Ebbets Field—the last World Series game ever played in that stadium.  Born July 27, 1933, in Hoboken, New Jersey, Kucks grew up in Jersey City and played baseball at William L. Dickinson High School. 

Baseball career:  On May 26, 1959 he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics, together with Jerry Lumpe and Tom Sturdivant, for Ralph Terry and Héctor López. On October 11, 1961 he was purchased by the Baltimore Orioles from the Athletics, but on December 1, 1961 the Orioles traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals for minor leaguer Ron Kabbes; however, he never played again in the majors.Kucks was also the last pitcher to face Jackie Robinson, striking him out for the final out of the 1956 World Series.Personal[edit]A longtime resident of Hillsdale, New Jersey since his days with the Yankees, Kucks worked as a stockbroker after his baseball career ended. He died of cancer on October 31, 2013, at the Villa Marie Claire hospice in Saddle River, New Jersey.

Statistics:

Born: July 27, 1933, Hoboken, New Jersey.  Died: October 31, 2013 (aged 80),

Saddle River, New Jersey

Batted: Right, Threw: Right

MLB debut:  April 17, 1955, for the New York Yankees

Last MLB appearance,  September 25, 1960, for the Kansas City Athletics

MLB statistics:  Win–loss record 54–56

Earned run average:  4.10

Strikeouts:  338

Teams:  New York Yankees (1955–1959)Kansas City Athletics (1959–1960)

Career highlights and awards:  All-Star (1956)2× World Series Champion (1956, 1958)