NEW YORK -- Ralph Kiner was a smash as a slugger, launching so many home runs over the left-field wall at old Forbes Field that fans nicknamed it his corner. Years later, as one of baseballs most beloved broadcasters, he became a big hit in a new "Kiners Korner." Kiner, the Hall of Famer whose frequent malaprops endeared him to New York Mets listeners for more than a half-century, died Thursday. He was 91. The Hall of Fame said Kiner died at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., with his family at his side. "He was a jewel," Mets Hall of Famer Tom Seaver said. Kiner hit 369 home runs during a 10-year career cut short by back problems. He debuted with Pittsburgh in 1946 and won or tied for the National League lead in homers in each of his first seven seasons. He was popular off the field, too. His Hollywood pals included Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, he squired Liz Taylor and Janet Leigh, and he played himself in the 1951 film "Angels in the Outfield." Kiner became a Mets announcer in their expansion season of 1962, working 17 years as a trio with Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson. Kiner called their games for 52 years in all, including a handful of them last season. Kiner was already a fixture on the Mets airwaves when he was inducted into the Hall in 1975. He was elected with just one vote to spare in his 15th and final year on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot. The six-time All-Star outfielder still ranks sixth all-time with a home run every 14.1 at-bats. He averaged more than 100 RBIs per season and hit .279 with the Pirates, the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland. When he retired, Kiner was sixth on the career home run list. To generations of TV viewers and radio listeners, his postcareer acclaim was as great as the honours he earned on the field. "Kiners Korner" was a delight for players and fans alike, where stars would join Kiner for postgame chats. "I loved going on Kiners Korner. I enjoyed talking baseball with Ralph, especially learning about players from his era," former Mets star Dwight Gooden said. "But what really made it special was every time you went on, you got a $100. For a rookie like me in 1984, a $100 was a big deal." Kiner was known for tripping over his own words, and often laughed about his own comments. "If Casey Stengel were alive today, hed be spinning in his grave," he once commented after a misplay. "On Fathers Day, we again wish you all a happy birthday," he also said. Then there was the time Gary Carter hit a winning home run in the 10th inning of his Mets debut in 1985 and Kiner introduced him as Gary Cooper, the famed actor. "Gary was a great sport about it," Kiner remembered. "He came on Kiners Korner afterward and introduced himself to me as Gary Cooper and even signed a picture to me, Gary Cooper Carter." His observations were pretty astute, too. Talking about a former Gold Glove outfielder, Kiner remarked: "Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water. The other third is covered by Garry Maddox." Kiner had a stroke about a decade ago that slowed his speech, but remained an occasional part of the Mets announcing crew. Fellow announcers such as Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling always brightened when Kiner was alongside them. Younger fans who were born long after Kiner retired also reveled in his folksy tales. "As one of baseballs most prolific power hitters for a decade, Ralph struck fear into the hearts of the best pitchers of baseballs Golden Era despite his easygoing nature, disarming humility and movie-star smile," Hall President Jeff Idelson said in a statement. "His engaging personality and profound knowledge of the game turned him into a living room companion for millions of New York Mets fans who adored his game broadcasts and later Kiners Korner for more than half a century," he said. "He was as comfortable hanging out in Palm Springs with his friend Bob Hope as he was hitting in front of Hank Greenberg at Forbes Field." As a teen, hanging around the Hollywood Stars in the Pacific Coast League, Kiner shook hands with Babe Ruth and talked ball with Ty Cobb. In high school, he hit a home run off Satchel Paige during a barnstorming tour. After serving as a Navy pilot in World War II, Kiner had a strong rookie year and won the NL homer title with 23, beating Johnny Mize by one. He really broke loose the next year, hitting 51 home runs with 127 RBIs while batting .313. Stuck on poor teams, Kiner never made it to the post-season. He made his mark in All-Star games, homering in three straight. Kiner connected in the 1950 showcase at Comiskey Park, but made more noise with another ball he hit in the game. He hit a long drive to the base of the scoreboard in left-centre field and Ted Williams broke his left elbow making the catch, causing him to miss two months. "Williams always said I ruined his batting stroke, that he could never hit after that," Kiner said. "Yeah, sure. He only hit .388 in 57." Mets owner Fred Wilpon remembered Kiner as "one of the most beloved people in Mets history -- an original Met and extraordinary gentleman." "His knowledge of the game, wit, and charm entertained generations of Mets fans. Like his stories, he was one of a kind," he said. "Our sport and society today lost one of the all-time greats." The Mets named the home TV booth at Shea Stadium in his honour. The Pirates retired Kiners No. 4. "All of us at the Pittsburgh Pirates have heavy hearts upon learning of Ralph Kiners passing," the team said in a statement. Ralph McPherran Kiner was born on Oct. 27, 1922. He was first married to tennis star Nancy Chaffee. Following their divorce he married Barbara George, and following another divorce he married DiAnn Shugart, who died in 2004. Air Max 720 Wholesale China . 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He faced only one break point, winning 24 out of 29 points played on the first serve.Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Yogi Ferrell scored all 20 of his points in the second half, helping Indiana gain some long-awaited revenge on Butler with an 82-73 victory over the 23rd-ranked Bulldogs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Troy Williams tied a career high with 22 points and pulled down a personal- best 11 rebounds to aid Indianas cause in the first meeting between the in- state rivals since Butler stunned the then top-ranked Hoosiers in overtime in Indianapolis during December of 2012. The outcome also was a special one for Hoosiers head coach Tom Crean, who garnered his 300th career win. To me, everybody contributed to the win, Crean said. Yogi did a fantastic job of coming back in the second half. Butler (8-3) received 23 points from Kellen Dunham and 14 out of Andrew Chrabascz, but struggled offensively for a second straight game. The Bulldogs shot just 39.1 percent overall and went 3-of-16 from 3-point range, six days after shooting 33.3 percent from the field in a loss at Tennessee. Indiana (9-2), meanwhile, hit on 8-of-17 tries from long distance to offset a five-point effort from leading scorer James Blackmon Jr. The teams were deadlocked at 61-61 with 8 1/2 minutes left before the Hoosiers began to pull away behind their more consistent offense. A Williams jumper was followed by a 3-point play from Blackmon that put Indiana up by five. Back-to-back buckets by the Bulldogs Roosevelt Jones got Butler within 66-65 with six minutes to go, but the Hoosiers answered with a 10-0 surge that effectively sealed the result. Nick Zeislofts 3-pointer ignited the run and Ferrell capped it with a trey of his own after two straight baskets from Williams, with Ferrells make staking IU to a 76-65 lead with 3:09 to play. We stalled out offensively, and they were able to score in that stretch, said Butler head coach Chris Holtmann. Ferrell then hiit four key free throws in the final minute to help keep the Bulldogs at bay.dddddddddddd It was a one-point game at the six-minute mark and we got five straight stops, said Crean. Thats the sign of a team thats trying to grow up and get better, and that was big for us. Indiana put together the games first big run midway through the first half, going on a 9-1 spurt to claim a 26-18 advantage 12 minutes in. It was a 10- point bulge after Hanner Mosquera-Perea tipped in Blackmons missed shot to send the Hoosiers up 37-27 with 3:44 left in the period, but Butler closed out the stanza on an 11-1 tear to pull even. Dunham netted the final seven points of the flurry, with his trey 56 seconds prior to the intermission knotting the score at 38-38. He finished with 18 first-half points, but went just 2-of-7 from the floor after the break. A 7-0 sequence gave Butler its largest lead of the day, a 53-47 edge with under 14 minutes left, but Ferrell scored the first five points of a 7-0 Indiana push later on that had the Hoosiers ahead by a 59-57 count midway through the second half. Game Notes Ferrell surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career with his late free throws, which gave him 1,003 in an IU uniform ... The game was the opener of the Crossroads Classic, a doubleheader featuring Indianas four premier basketball schools. Notre Dame and Purdue will square off in the nightcap ... Butler had won seven straight times at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and entered Saturdays showdown 9-2 all-time at the venue ... The Hoosiers ended a string of six straight losses to ranked teams away from home ... Blackmon, whose 19.2 points per game coming in led all Division I freshmen, went 2-of-12 from the floor but had eight rebounds ... Butlers Kameron Woods posted a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. 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