About Darryl Kile
Darryl Andrew Kile (December 2, 1968 – June 22, 2002) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher. He pitched from 1991 to 2002 for three Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, primarily for the Houston Astros. Kile was known for his sharp, big-breaking curveball. He died at the age of 33 of coronary artery disease in 2002 in Chicago, where he and the St. Louis Cardinals were staying for a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs. He was the first active major league player to die during the regular season since 1979, when the New York Yankees' Thurman Munson died in a plane crash. == Early life == Kile was born on December 2, 1968, in Garden Grove, California, near Angel Stadium. He attended Norco High School in Norco, California, where his awkward frame and low pitch velocity — his four-seam fastball topping out at 78 mph (126 km/h) — meant that he was mostly overlooked by college recruiters and scouts. In 1987, after graduating from Norco, Kile enrolled at Chaffey Junior College in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and joined their college baseball team as a walk-on. Between his freshman and sophomore year of college, Kile underwent a growth spurt that took him from 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) to 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m), helped him gain 20 pounds (9.1 kg), and added 13 mph (21 km/h) to his fastball.
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