Posted on by Shannon Shark @metspolice

Coach Kiner’s bizarre Mets uniform

Crazy cap. See yesterday.

#54 – explainable

He is in a road jersey. The batter (if I should know 1971’s #28 off the top of my head go ahead and rip me) is in a home uniform.


Krazy Kiner Kap tip to Kevin.

12 Replies to “Coach Kiner’s bizarre Mets uniform”

  1. The player is Mike Jorgensen and you may recall he was one of the four players the Mets gave up to get Rusty Staub.

  3. According to MBTN, #28 in 1971 was John Milner…definitely not him there. Prior to that year, anyone who wore #28 was a pitcher. No Met wore #28 till 1978 after Milner, that was Dwight Bernard.

    1. You’re correct. I further looked up John Milner, and the guy batting most definitely not him. Is this photo actually from 1971 or could it be prior to that (presuming that someone else in Spring Training could have been given that number before being sent down to the minors before the season began)?

      1. I’m guessing that but Jon and Matt over at MBTN have done their due diligence…if ANYONE wore #28, even if it was for like 30 seconds, they’d have written about it! I’m wondering if maybe the year might be off? Of course, we can’t tell from the front but he does resemble the guy to wear #28 in 1978, Bernard…

  4. I’m pretty sure this is a photo of Kiner helping out during a fall instructional league. The batter is most likely a minor leaguer.

  5. My guess on the home/road thing is that players & coaches wore different unis during whatever training session this was so they could be more easily distinguished.

    I’m just taking a shot in the dark here, but how long have the Mets been doing fantasy camps?

  6. the photo was taken during the mets instructinal fall camp.thats why kiner is wearing pitching coach rube walker’s #54.
    who knows,the club house man could have gave him #41 !

  8. guess Rube and Ralph’s gut sizes were the same so they could share a uniform. Swoboda was #14 agreed – but switched to #4 not for Hodges in 68 but for Ken Boyer. Boyer was an MVP and WS winner with the Crads – Swoboda was a kid, he gave that # up when Boyer requested it in the spring of ’66.

  9. Look at the batter’s face and then look up a Met Yearbook from 1970 or 1971 and you will see the batter, regarless of the number he is wearing (remember minor leaguers oftimes wear the same numbers as major leaguers) is Mike Jorgensen. I would never write something on a blog (generally I’ve got much better things to do)if I didn’t know I was 100% right.

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