Zalusky: Chicago a key stop on the road to the Hall for Kaat

Jim Kaat said he will wear a Minnesota Twins hat on his Hall of Fame plaque.

But he tipped his cap to the White Sox organization during a Dec. 5 news conference following the announcement of his election by the Golden Days Era Committee.

Kaat gained new life when the Sox claimed him off waivers late in the 1973 season.

"My time in Chicago was so important, because the Twins thought I was done," he said.

In fact, one could argue he wouldn't have found his way to Cooperstown if the road hadn't passed through Chicago where, reunited with Johnny Sain, his pitching coach with the 1965 AL champion Twins, his career rebounded and lasted another decade.

At the time the Twins sold the veteran lefty hurler to the Sox for the $25,000 waiver price, Kaat's career won-loss record was 190-159.

He was 11-12 with a 4.41 ERA with the Twins in 1973.

Kaat said, "I was surprised when I got the call from (Sox GM) Roland Hemond. I was playing golf in Minneapolis, and a guy drove out in a cart and said there's a guy named Roland Hemond on the phone. I got the phone and he said we just picked up your contract off waivers."

With the Twins hovering between third and fourth place, Kaat said, "The rumor was maybe the Yankees or the Royals would pick up my contract," since they would be interested in a left-hander.

But the Sox were looking ahead to the following year.

Hemond told Kaat, who was making $60,000, "We're prepared to give you a contract for $70,000."

Kaat said, "I said, 'Man, I'd have to win 20 games in Minnesota to get that from (Twins owner) Calvin Griffith,' so I said, 'I'm in,' and I went there and got back with Johnny Sain, who was the pitching coach that had more impact and influence on my career than anybody."

After the Sox claimed Kaat Aug. 15, 1973, Sain remarked publicly, "Kaat will help the rest of our players just by being around. He's that type of person. He is a great competitor and a real class guy."

Sain, foreshadowing Kaat's reinvention as a reliever with the Yankees and the Cardinals, said he saw relief possibilities with Kaat, an opportunity a change in ballclubs provided.

Sain used his career as an example when he turned reliever after the Boston Braves traded him to the Yankees.

Kaat was 4-1 down the stretch and earned his 12th consecutive Gold Glove.

He got off to a slow start in 1974 with a 4-6 record.

"I was really getting hammered in the early part of '74. Harry Caray was saying, 'Hey, when your slow curve and your fastball are the same speed, it's time to call it a career.' You know, he was calling for my scalp."

Sox Manager Chuck Tanner came to the rescue.

"Chuck called me in one day after a road trip, and we're at O'Hare Airport. He said, 'Come in early tomorrow,' and I figured, well, I'm going to get my release. He's going to say, 'Hey, you had a nice career, but it's kind of over.' He called me in. He said, 'You've been winning 15 games a year in this league for 15 years, and I think you can still do it. So you're going to start a week from Monday against Cleveland."

Kaat then worked with Sain on developing a quick motion.

"Johnny ended up getting me to have a quicker release, kind of a funky looking quick-pitch motion, and I ended up having two 20-game seasons.

"I would say a majority of managers would probably have let me go then. But Chuck stayed with me and he knows, because I have told him many times, how grateful I am for that."

During his Sox stint, Kaat said he also formed a close bond with teammate Dick Allen, who narrowly missed enshrinement. "I'm sad. I'm disappointed," Kaat said about Allen falling short. "It's just one vote. I know the committee can only vote for four, but Dick and I became such close friends there."

He recalled, "I took him out to see Secretariat one day out in Kentucky."

During the Zoom press call, he pointed to a plaque on his wall that showed Allen's all-time teammate team.

"I'm the left-hand pitcher on that team. Gibbie (Bob Gibson) is the righty. He loved playing behind me because I worked fast and threw strikes."

Kaat said he would have loved to stay with the White Sox, but owner John Allyn was losing money and Hemond came to him and said, "We think we can get some young players for you, and there's three teams in the National League East looking for a veteran pitcher, the Mets, the Pirates and the Phillies."

The Mets wound up getting Mickey Lolich, the Pirates acquired Doc Medich, and Kaat went to his father's favorite team, the Phillies when, on Dec. 10, 1975, the Sox traded Kaat and Mike Buskey for Alan Bannister, Roy Thomas and Dick Ruthven.

"But I really enjoyed my years on the South Side," Kaat said.