Harmon Killebrew Biography

1936-

American baseball player

Harmon Killebrew ranks seventh on baseball's all-time home run list, having hit 573 homers in his twenty-two-year career. Killebrew homered once every 14.2 atbats. He played all but one season with the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins franchise, playing his final year with the Kansas City Royals in 1975. Killebrew, an eleven-time all-star, won or tied for the American League home run title six times, led the league in runs batted in three times and earned the league's Most Valuable Player award in 1969. He also played in the 1965 World Series.

His nickname, "Killer," belied Killebrew's gentlemanly reputation. He didn't drink and was never ejected from a game. He has established events such as golf tournaments to benefit charities. Killebrew himself had a brush with death in the early 1990s, when he was hospitalized for about three months and developed complications from medicine given for his knees. He also overcame financial problems after his playing career ended.