Games Thirty-Two Through Thirty-Four

Gabe Kapler’s robbed home run is the enduring image from Mark Buehrle’s perfect game. That kind of trademark defensive play is largely absent from Dallas Braden’s, unless one wants to count Kevin Kouzmanoff or perhaps Eric Patteron’s snag in the ninth. Overall though, there were no tough looking outs, which suggests that the final out made in the game might be the lasting image. That final out was just so happen to be made by, whom else, Gabe Kapler.

The remarkable thing about Kapler making the significant outs in two perfect games is not that it might be his long-term career highlight, but instead that he’s even in the major leagues. The Detroit Tigers selected him in the 57th round of the 1995 draft. Pick number 1,488. There have been 13 players selected at that pick:

2009 Chris Constantino (3B, Boston)
2008 Levi Rosencrans (C, Texas)
2006 Baron Frost (OF, Toronto)
2005 Cameron Satterwhite (OF, Cleveland)
2004 Bryan Wagner (RHP Chicago A)
1997 Aaron Heilman (RHP, New York A)
1996 Harris Stanton (OF, Chicago N)
1995 Gabe Kapler (3B, Detroit)
1994 Bill Eaton (SS, Milwaukee)
1993 Michael Hannah (OF, Toronto)
1991 Jason Rogers (LHP, Texas)
1990 Cedric Moore (OF, Houston)
1989 Mario Prats (LHP, Houston)

Heilman, of course, is the only player of that bunch to make the majors. Heilman’s had a nice career in his own right, but Kapler is clearly the cream of Club 1448’s crop. Kapler could have played his college ball at Cal State Fullerton, but instead transferred to Moorpark College (located in Moorpark, California). Believe it or not, Kapler is one of 43 draft picks out of the college and one of four players to make it to the show. The next most notable Moorpark College alumni might be Tyler Johnson – formerly a left-handed specialist with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kapler managed to tear through the minors. In his first full minor league season, he hit 26 home runs for the Tigers’ A-Level affiliate. He moved up a level, and repeated the process, blasting 65 extra base hits, including 40 doubles. Kapler would again receive a promotion to begin the 1998 season, and again would go nuts on the competition. This time he hit .322/.393/.583 with 28 home runs, 47 doubles, and a record-setting 146 runs batted in. Such performances were hard to ignore and lead to Baseball America naming him as the 34th best prospect in the land prior to the 1999 season.

1999 saw Kapler playing in 130 games for the Tigers, hitting .245/.315/.447 with 18 home runs. During the off-season, the Tigers would trade him and a slew of others (including Frank Catalanotto and Francisco Cordero) to the Rangers for Juan Gonzalez, Danny Patterson, and Gregg Zaun. Kapler would be one other time during his career, that coming in 2002 when the Rangers sent him and Jason Romano to the Colorado Rockies for Todd Hollandsworth and Dennys Reyes.

In short time, Kapler would latch on with the Boston Red Sox as a defensive substitute and left-handed pitching masher. He would win a World Series with the club in 2004 and suffer through some injuries in 2005 and 2006 before heading to Japan. All and all, his career slash stats stood at .270/.331/.418 with 64 home runs and 68 stolen bases. Kapler would eventually return and re-enter the Boston organization as a manager. His team didn’t play so well, and Kapler became frustrated with the inane issues that younger players deal with. He would return to playing in 2008, and the rest is recent history.

A man of Jewish faith, Kapler has tattoos that symbolize his people’s struggles and triumphs. Perhaps ironically, since his religion bemoans tattoos. A man with an expansive vocabulary, a clear understanding of the game, and a playing style that mimics that of smaller and less physically gifted middle infielders. Perhaps ironically, since Kapler’s passion is bodybuilding. During that 1999 season, the Tigers wore throwback jerseys with numbers honoring the greats to play in Tiger Stadium. Kapler wore Ty Cobb’s number, or rather, didn’t wear a number at all. Perhaps ironically, since Cobb was a well-documented anti-Semite who would probably not play alongside Kapler and would never consider befriending Kapler.

Being the lasting image of two perfect games isn’t exactly ironic, but rather iconic.

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