Rest In Peace Harmon Killebrew.
Today we lost a legend. I woke up this morning and checked my phone and the first thing I saw was a text message that Harmon Killebrew passed away. He was 74 years old and died from the cancer he had been battling since last year. While his passing was expected it still does not soften the blow to the Baseball community. As always I pay tribute to my Baseball heroes on 90 feet of perfection via a collection of my favorite photos and today is no different. Here’s to you Killer Killebrew, one of the greatest sluggers and good guys Baseball has ever seen.
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I still remember my first introduction to Harmon Killebrew which was on the old Home Run Derby re-runs that ESPN used to air. Not only was it an awesome show, it was very educating in a Baseball sense for a young kid like myself. For me it “brought to life” the sluggers I had only read about or seen on Baseball cards & photos.
My heart warmed when I found this screen shot as I miss watching those old black & white episodes. In turn it made me start looking around online to stream or download them online (there are a few places you can). In addition you can purchase episodes on itunes and you can even purchase the DVD box sets. There is an awesome Mantle vs Killebrew up on Hulu right now that is definitely worth checking out. Link HERE.
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Harmon Killebrew in mid (perfect) swing while probably watching one of his 573 career home runs leave the park. Something I read last year which kinda blew my mind was that Killebrew hit more home runs in the 1960’s than any other player. He hit 393 dingers during the decade of the 1960’s. That’s more than Aaron, Mantle, Mays, etc. It makes you wonder that if Killebrew was on a team other than the Twins/Senators than he would be more well known.
I’m not taking anything from Harmon’s legacy by any means, but could you imagine if he was on the Yankees? People would potentially know his name as well as Mantle’s. At the same time, the fact that he was a member of those teams makes his Baseball career so much cooler.
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I will never tire of photos like this. Kids who were fans during Baseball’s Golden Age had it made.
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Harmon Killebrew & Kirby Puckett: Twin City Legends who are no longer with us.
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I have always liked the Kansas City Royals as a team due to the fact that as a kid I LOVED Bo Jackson, just like every other kid from my generation. With that said, for that reason it is kind of cool to see Harmon Killebrew in a Royals uniform but at the same time it just doesn’t seem right. We all know The Harmon the Killer was and always will always be remembered as a member of the Twins/Senators organization.
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A great photo of Harmon during an at-bat in 1969. No ear flaps on the batting helmet, no batting gloves, pine tar on perfectly, under shirt cut above the elbows. Basically this photo is perfect. Also, what some people may or may not know is that the MLB logo which is on his right arm is based on a silhouette of ole’ Harmon himself. Pretty cool if you ask me.
UPDATE: Paul Lukas from Uni Watch contacted me and linked me to an article he wrote for ESPN back in 2008 in which he most likely debunked the myth of Killebrew on the MLB logo. It’s called “Who Is That Silhouetted Man?” Check it out as it’s a great article and very interesting stuff. It’s kind of funny how something I have believed most of my life is probably incorrect. Paul, thanks for the clarification!
ninety feet of perfection. 
I didn’t know that the MLB logo was based on a silhouette of Harmon. That’s insanely awesome.
The logo actually wasn’t based on Harmon. There are definitely similarities, but the designer himself said that the logo is a composite of several players from that era. There’s a brief explanation here, which includes a link to a longer look from a few years ago.
Sorry — meant to add: Great post! Loved it.