John Francis "Jack" Kralick

1935 - 2012

Former Soldotna resident and professional baseball pitcher Jack Kralick died on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012 in San Blas, Mexico with family by his side.
He was born John Francis Kralick to John and Margaret Kralick in Youngstown, Ohio on June 1, 1935.
A funeral Mass and burial was on Sept. 19, 2012 in San Blas where he had lived since 1988. Residents lined the streets and joined the procession to his burial place on a hill. He was highly respected for helping the local community of San Blas and will not be forgotten. A memorial will be constructed at a later date.
He graduated from St. Patrick's High School in Wyandotte, Mich., and attended college at Michigan State University in Lansing, Mich. After one year of college, he pitched semi-pro baseball before signing with the Chicago White Sox organization as a southpaw pitcher. He stayed in their minor leagues until signing with the Washington Senators in 1959. He caught the opening pitch ball thrown by then President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1960.
In 1961 Jack and a relief pitcher hit solo home runs. It was only the sixth time that two pitchers have homered for the same team in one game. No one has done it since.
He had an eight-year Major League career with the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians from 1959 to 1967. He pitched the first no-hitter for the Minnesota Twins in 1962, remembered as one of the best pitching performances in the history of the Twins. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 1963 and was on the American League All Star team in 1964. An automobile accident ended his career in 1967.
Jack moved to Alaska in 1973 and joined the Arctic Winter Games in Anchorage in 1974. He was the pitching coach for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots the following season. He moved to Soldotna in 1975 where his family joined him. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and took flying lessons while in Alaska. He loved the land and was proud to be an Alaskan.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Wyandotte, Mich., in May of 2007. His no-hit baseball and his picture remain in baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Jack is survived by his children, Jack and his wife Ginger of Anchorage, Mark of Anchorage, Lee of Rockwall of Texas, Pegi Kralick of Wasilla, Jana Brauner and her husband David of Anchorage, Homer and Monteray, California, and his former wife Donna of Soldotna. He is also survived by 16 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.