The Main Event
- June 2, 1989 – The Phillies traded Chris James to San Diego for Randy Ready and John Kruk.
Thirty-seven years ago today, on June 2, 1989, the Philadelphia Phillies sent outfielder Chris James to the San Diego Padres in exchange for first baseman/outfielder John Kruk and utility infielder Randy Ready. At the time, it looked like a sensible swap of struggling players. In hindsight, it is one of the most one-sided trades in Phillies history — and one of the best.
The trade came just four days after Mike Schmidt‘s sudden retirement, which sent the Phillies front office into a massive rebuilding and retooling effort. General manager Lee Thomas needed bodies, fast. The Padres, meanwhile, were in search of right-handed power and an everyday third baseman, with Luis Salazar, Tim Flannery, and Randy Ready all platooning at the hot corner.
None of the three players involved were coming from a position of strength. James, 26, was batting .207 with two home runs and 19 RBI, and was mired in an 0-for-31 rut. Kruk, 28, was hitting just .184 with three home runs and six RBI. Ready was at .254 with no home runs in 28 games.
James was considered the prize of the deal. He had finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1987 and had led the Phillies with 19 home runs the previous season. He had slugged 49 home runs across his first three major league seasons and was still only 26, so the Padres viewed him as a long-term answer at third base.
Kruk’s value had been suppressed by circumstances that went well beyond baseball. According to the FBI, a former Padres teammate believed Kruk had turned him in to the police, and Kruk lived in fear of reprisal until the man was apprehended on September 19, 1988. Kruk has stated that the ongoing stress negatively affected his on-field performance that season. San Diego was looking to move on from Kruk for almost anything, and the Phillies’ call about Randy Ready opened the door.
Contemporary coverage framed the deal as a low-risk change of scenery for three players who all needed a fresh start. Phillies manager Nick Leyva said Kruk would start in left field and Ready would play third base, while Padres manager Jack McKeon said James would play either third base or left, adding: “It gives us some power from the right side.” The trade was not viewed as transformative. It was a quiet June deal between two non-contenders, with both clubs hoping a new address might unlock something.
What Happened to Chris James and Randy Ready
James produced a -0.8 WAR in 87 games and 303 at-bats with the Padres, quickly wearing out his welcome. Just six months after being acquired, he was packaged with Sandy Alomar and Carlos Baerga and sent to the Cleveland Indians for Joe Carter. He never established himself as an everyday player again.
Ready had a quieter but longer run in Philadelphia. He was a veteran utility player who had played at least 160 games at three different positions across his career — an average hitter who got on base but had little power. He left after the 1991 season and returned for the 1994–95 seasons. His most notable moment as a Phillie came on April 28, 1991. Ready nearly executed a rare unassisted triple play, catching a line drive by Tony Gwynn, stepping on second to force out Paul Faries, and then throwing to first for the third out rather than tagging the runner himself.
John Kruk in Philadelphia: The Player
After the trade, Kruk blossomed into an All-Star, with the Phillies using him primarily at first base. From 1991 through 1993, he made the National League All-Star team three years in succession. His best season came in 1993, when he posted career highs with a .316 batting average and a .430 on-base percentage as a member of the NL pennant-winning club.
In the 1993 World Series against the Blue Jays, Kruk hit .348 with four runs scored and four RBIs in the losing effort. He finished his career with a .300 batting average, 100 home runs, and 592 RBIs across 10 major league seasons.
The Antics: Kruk’s Most Memorable Moments
No account of John Kruk is complete without the Randy Johnson at-bat. At the 1993 All-Star Game, Johnson’s first pitch flew over Kruk’s head to the backstop, leading Kruk to feign heart palpitations and remark, “That boy throws too hard, and he’s too wild. He could kill someone.” The at-bat became one of the most replayed moments in All-Star Game history.
He shirked the title of “athlete” in favor of “baseball player,” which felt more forgiving to his physique — a line that became his calling card. He was parodied by SNL star Chris Farley, charmed David Letterman during his peak mullet era, and later pranked then-rookie Chase Utley after his first major league grand slam.
John Kruk as a Broadcaster
Kruk rejoined the Phillies broadcast team in January 2017, having previously worked as a color analyst in 2003 during the final season at Veterans Stadium. In the intervening years, he spent 13 years with ESPN as both a color commentator on Sunday Night Baseball and a studio analyst for Baseball Tonight.
When Kruk is on the mic during a Phillies game, fans never know what might come out of his mouth. His color commentary has included extended riffs on men’s hairy chests, giraffes, and a memorably uncomfortable at-bat he once had against a pitcher on a prison baseball team — a man who, Kruk learned mid-game, had burned a car with two people inside it. His extra-dry, aw-shucks humor has made him a demigod-level figure in Philadelphia, beloved across generations, with Gen Z fans among his most devoted audience.
On June 2, 1989, it looked like a swap of underperforming players. Thirty-seven years later, it looks like the Phillies stole a franchise icon for free.
Philadelphia Baseball Events for June 2
- June 2, 1928 – Cy Williams and Johnny Schulte hit pinch-hit home runs, but the Phils come up short against St. Louis. The two pinch-hit blasts set a team record and tied a majorsixleague record.
- June 2, 1945 – Vince DiMaggio hits a pinch-hit grand slam in the 6th inning, but the Pirates come back to score three runs in the home half of the inning, leading to a 7-6 Phillies loss.
- June 2, 1949 – The Phils hit five homers in the eights inning against the Reds. Catcher Andy Seminick hit two of them, as well as one earlier in the game. Del Ennis, Schoolboy Rowe, and Willie Jones hit the others. The five home runs tied a major-league record for a single inning, and the 26 total bases recorded in the inning set a modern record.
- June 2, 1976 – Tommy Underwood goes the distance in a 4-1 Phillies victory in St. Louis. It was the team’s 13th straight road win, breaking a team record set in 1887. During the streak, the Phillies swept series in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Houston, and New York.
- June 2, 2002 – Robert Person hits two home runs and earned the win in an 18-3 victory over Montreal.
- June 2, 2009 – On his 37th birthday, Raul Ibanez hits two home runs and drives in five. The first dinger was the 200th in Ibanez’ career, pacing a 10-5 Phillies win over San Diego.
- June 2, 2017 – In a 10-0 loss to San Francisco, Phillies pitchers walk opposing starter Ty Blach 3 times. The last time the Phillies had given three free passes to a pitcher was 1929.
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Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays June 2
- Larry Jackson (born 1931) – A right-handed pitcher who spent 14 seasons in the majors, Jackson’s final three seasons were with the Phillies from 1966 through 1968. In 104 starts, Jackson was 41-45 with a 2.95 ERA with the Phillies.
- Roger Freed (born 1946) – Best known for his involvement in litigating baseball’s reserve clause, Freed played for the Phillies in 1971 and ’72. He hit .222 in 191 games.
- Raul Ibanez (born 1972) – A left-handed hitting outfielder, Ibanez signed with the Phillies as a free agent following the 2008 season. He spent three seasons with the Phillies and was an NL All-Star in 2009.
- Matthew Potok (born 2003) – Drafted by the Phillies in the 18th round of the 2025 Draft, Potok has yet to pitch professionally and is on the IL with the FCL Phillies.
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