Wayne Kirby: Mets First Base Coach (2022) & Former Mets Player (1998)

Wayne Leonard Kirby was born January 22nd, 1964 in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. The five foot eleven left hand hitting out fielder was signed out of an Apprentice School in 1983 by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 13th round.

Kirby spent  eight years in the Dodgers minor leagues before getting put on waivers & signed with the Cleveland Indians. 

MLB Career: He debuted at age 27 playing 21 games with the Indians in 1991. He spent six years in Cleveland, playing as their regular right fielder in 1993. That year he batted .269 with 123 hits, 19 doubles, 5 triples, 6 HRs, 60 RBIs & 17 stolen bases in 131 games. 

Kirby was a fine defensive outfielder, making a league leading 19 assists. He also turned in five
double plays & posted a .979 fielding %. The next year he hit .293 in 78 games with 5 HRs & 23 RBIs in 78games played.

For the 1995 AL Champion Indians, Kirby hit just .207 getting in to 101 games as a back up out fielder. He stole ten bases hit ten doubles & drove in 14 runs in 188 at bats. 

1995 Post Season: He got two post season hits in seven at bats, playing 11 games in the ALDS, ALCS & World Series combined. In the ALCS win over the Seattle Mariners, he scored runs in Games #3 & 4. He added a sacrifice in the next game & stayed in to play left field. In the World Series against the Atlanta Braves, he played in three games, getting one at bat. He was used mostly as a defensive replacement.

The next year he was placed on waivers & was signed by the L.A. Dodgers, making an NLDS appearance. 

After two years in L.A. where he hit .271 in 65 games in 1996 & then just .169 in 46 games the next year. In 1997  he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals. After playing in their minors, he was traded to the New York Mets for Shan Gilbert.

Mets Playing Career: Kirby arrived to debut with the Mets on June 11th as a defensive sub. He got a start in right field the next day, going 0-4 in a 4-3 loss to the Florida Marlins. Two days later, he came into the game in the 6th inning & got two hits in three at bats in a 5-4 Mets loss to Florida. 

On June 25th, Kirby hit a pinch-hit triple in the bottom of the 7th inning, during an inter league game with the Baltimore Orioles. He tied the game when Mike Piazza scored him on sac fly. The Mets went on to a 3-2 win, on a Carlos Baerga walk off hit.

On July 1st, Kirby got his second & final Mets start in right field. He went 1-4 in Toronto against his old Blue Jays teammates. By the end of July he was sent back down to AAA Norfolk. He ended the year having played in 33 games with the Mets, batting .194 (6-31) with five runs scored. 

After the season he was released & then played in the minors through 2001. In his eight year career he hit .252 with 302 hits 51 doubles 14 HRs 119 RBIs 44 steals & a .309 on base %.

Retirement- Coaching Career: Kirby became an outfield base running coach for the Texas Rangers. In 2011 he became the first base coach for the Baltimore Orioles. He held that position for eight seasons (2011-2018). 

There he worked under manager Buck Schowalter who called him "the blue print for what a coach was suppose to be".

In 2020 he was first base coach with the San Diego Padres.

Mets Coaching Career: On January 5th, 2022, he was hired as the Mets first base coach reunited with the new Mets manager Buck Schowalter. Kirby is a popular coach with the Mets players & fans as well. The good guy Kirby is also known as just a regular in the crazy world of baseball.

Family: Wayne & his wife Cara have two daughters & a son. They reside in Las Vegas. 

His brother Terry Kirby was a running back in the NFL for a decade from 1993-2002. Terry played with the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns & Oakland Raiders.