Kennedy was stuck behind catcher Ted Simmons at St. Louis until the 11-player deal on December 8, 1980 that sent Kennedy to San Diego and brought Rollie Fingers, briefly, to the Cardinals. From 1981 to 1987, only Gary Carter (940) caught more major league games than Kennedy (934).
Terry was San Diego’s MVP in 1982, tying Johnny Bench‘s catchers’ record of 40 doubles. Kennedy had 42 doubles overall and led all catchers with 64 extra-base hits. He lost his job to Benito Santiago late in 1986 but set a Padres record by batting .478 as a pinch hitter.
Traded to Baltimore for 1987, Kennedy became the second catcher to start All-Star games for both leagues and set club records in starts (135) and total games (142) as a catcher. The strikeout-prone, 6’4″ 224-lb lefthanded batter never produced the power expected to go with his size. A prime target for basestealers due to a suspect throwing arm, Kennedy compensated with great knowledge of hitters and ability to handle pitchers.
Terry and his father, Bob Kennedy, are one of only four father-son duos to both play in the World Series. Acquired by the Giants in 1989 while his father was a Giants executive, Terry helped them to the NL pennant.
