Back When There Was Baseball: Jim Kern

Back When There Was Baseball · Jun 25, 2026 · 1h 13m

We are pleased to host one of the best relief pitchers in MLB history. Jim Kern joins us this week. He won the American League Rolaids Relief Man Award in 1979 and was one of the best relief pitchers in the history of the game until he suffered an arm injury. He was not highly touted out of high school but signed with Cleveland in 1968. He entered the Marine Corps in 1969, and we would like to thank him for his service. Jim progressed as a hard throwing reliever which culminated in his best season in 1979 with the Texas Rangers. His nickname was "Emu" and he appeared in 3 consecutive All-Star…