Adam Thomas Kennedy (born January 10, 1976, in
Riverside,
California) is a
Major League Baseball second baseman for the
Oakland Athletics.
School
Kennedy attended J.W. North High School in
Riverside, California, playing baseball and basketball. He attended
Cal State Northridge, where he played
shortstop for the Matador baseball squad. He set school records in career
hits,
RBI and
batting average and was a three-time
All American. He led the nation in hits as a sophomore and junior.
St. Louis Cardinals
Kennedy was drafted in the first round (twentieth overall) by the
St. Louis Cardinals in . He made his major league debut in for the Cardinals.
Anaheim Angels/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Kennedy was traded the following year to the
Anaheim Angels with
Kent Bottenfield for
Jim Edmonds.
Kennedy matched a team record with eight RBI against the
Blue Jays on April 18, 2000. It was the most RBI by any rookie in one game since
Fred Lynn drove in 10 for the
Boston Red Sox in .
In Game 5 of the
2002 American League Championship Series against the Minnesota Twins, Kennedy hit three
home runs, joining only four other players who hit three homers in a post-season game:
Babe Ruth,
Bob Robertson,
Reggie Jackson and
George Brett. Kennedy's performance helped the Angels clinch the
American League pennant, and Kennedy was named the series' Most Valuable Player. The Angels went on to beat the
San Francisco Giants in seven games in the
World Series, earning Kennedy a World Series ring.
The 2002 campaign established Kennedy as a fixture in the Angels infield. However, his declining offensive performance put his status with the club in flux. Before the season trade deadline, it was rumored that Kennedy would be traded, most notably for
Shea Hillenbrand. While the rumors never came to fruition, Kennedy was forced to share the starting
second base position, playing in a
platoon with rookie
Howie Kendrick for the remainder of the season.
The national spotlight shone briefly on Kennedy on August 16, 2006, when he took part in a
bench-clearing brawl in the ninth inning of a game between the
Texas Rangers and the Angels. Tensions between the two division rivals were already high, as two Rangers starting pitchers —
Adam Eaton and
Vicente Padilla — had been ejected in previous games that month for throwing at Angels batters. Also, two Angels hurlers (
Kevin Gregg and
Brendan Donnelly) had already been thrown out of the game for hitting batters, and manager
Mike Scioscia and bench coach
Ron Roenicke had been ejected as well. Rangers pitcher
Scott Feldman hit Kennedy in the buttocks with a fastball with only one out remaining in the game, and his team up 9–3. Kennedy charged the mound, triggering a fight between the 6' 5" Feldman and the 6' 1" Kennedy.
[ ] As Kennedy charged him, Feldman stood on the mound and threw down his glove, and when Kennedy reached him Feldman then hit Kennedy in the armpit with a punch.
[ Kennedy was suspended for four games for his actions.] Return to St. Louis
On November 28, 2006 he signed a 3-year, $10 million contract with his former team, the St. Louis Cardinals.
On August 11, 2007, Kennedy was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn medial meniscus in his right knee, an injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the season.
On February 9, , after a year of demanding a trade due to his unfulfilled desire for a starting role on the Cardinals, Kennedy was released by the team. Tampa Bay Rays
He signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays one week later. Oakland Athletics
On May 8, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Joe Dillon and was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento. His contract was purchased the next day.See also
