Kendall became a San Diego favorite as their regular catcher for much of 1972-76 and was named Most Valuable Padre in 1973 when he hit a career-high .282. Randy Jones credited Kendall with much of his success, and Kendall caught all of Jones’s league-leading 22 victories in 1976. The last original Padre when sent to the Indians in December 1976, he returned as a backup in 1979.
