Ralph Kiner’s Vinyl Lesson: When Baseball Wisdom Spun at 78 RPM

There was a time—long before YouTube tutorials, batting cage swing analyzers, or launch angle debates—when baseball instruction came not from your iPhone, but from a 7-inch red vinyl record spinning at 78 revolutions per minute.

In June of 1952, Columbia Records decided America’s youngsters needed a little help mastering the finer points of the national pastime. So they called in the experts—not coaches, not scientists, but legends. Ralph Kiner taught Hitting (PV-800), Phil Rizzuto covered Bunting, Yogi Berra handled Catching, and Bob Feller, naturally, took care of Pitching.

Later that year, Columbia released four more: George Kell (Third Base), Richie Ashburn (Base Running), Bobby Thomson (Batting), and Ned Garver (Pitching). Each record came in a paper sleeve adorned with colorful artwork and a facsimile autograph, a little slice of Americana for the price of a milkshake and a comic book. The kids of 1952 could drop a needle and learn baseball from the same voices they heard on radio broadcasts, minus the commercials for Chesterfields.

Ralph’s record, Hitting, is especially dear to us here at Kiner’s Korner for obvious reasons. We borrowed our name from his beloved postgame show, but we also carry on his spirit: teaching, storytelling, and loving the game in all its glorious imperfection. So when a Kiner artifact surfaces, we do what any responsible adult would do, panic a little, fire up the MacBook, and start writing like we’re on deadline for The Sporting News in 1952

Listening to the record today, yes, you can hear it online for free, though one just sold on eBay in August for the princely sum of $10 , you’re struck by how wonderfully simple it all was. No jargon. No analytics. No “exit velocity.” No “High Level Pattern” or “snap and tilt” theories from the Church of Teacherman Baseball. Just Ralph’s drawl saying, “You know, if you’re at all like me, you’ll enjoy hitting more than any other part of baseball.”

He walks the young listener through everything: the stance, the stride, keeping your eyes on the pitcher’s arm, and most importantly, staying balanced. “Don’t try to knock the baseball out of shape by swinging too hard,” he warns. “You want a free, level swing.”

There’s poetry in that advice. It’s the kind of instruction that doesn’t just apply to baseball it’s about life. Don’t overdo it. Stay level. Follow through. And for heaven’s sake, keep your eye on the ball.

Kiner’s tone is pure 1950s optimism, a voice from a time when baseball was less about data and more about joy. It’s almost impossible not to smile hearing him say, “Extra bases are as sure as my name is Kiner.” You can practically see him grinning as he says it, one hand on the bat, the other on the brim of his cap, every inch the slugger who led the National League in home runs seven straight years.

It’s also a reminder of how the game and the world has changed. In 1952, kids huddled around record players to learn how to swing. Today, they scroll TikTok. But the goal is the same: to hit the ball hard, to play with joy, and to feel that unexplainable thrill that comes when the bat meets the ball just right.

At Kiner’s Korner, we tip our caps to Ralph , not just for his towering home runs or his folksy postgame interviews, but for moments like this. For teaching a generation of kids, through the crackle of vinyl, what it meant to really love the game.

And maybe that’s the lesson for us too: whether it’s a needle on a record or a finger on a touchscreen, the heart of baseball is timeless. It’s in the swing, the smile, and the stories that keep spinning long after the final out.

You can keep your biomechanics and your “High Level Patterns.” I’ll take Ralph Kiner, a level swing, and a red 78 any day.

🎧 Listen to Ralph’s Record Here: