Kranitz earns 1,000th win as pitching coach

MIAMI -- Braves pitching coach Rick Kranitz has been around the block. In his 20th season as a coach, Kranitz has seen it all and has racked up some mileage, as well as wins. Friday’s 5-0 series-opening victory at Miami marked the 1,000th win of his illustrious career.

The 62-year-old Kranitz is in his third season as the Braves’ pitching coach. He was added to manager Brian Snitker’s staff on Dec. 6, 2018.

“Man, that’s a lot of games,” Snitker said of the milestone. “That just shows you how long he’s been doing it.”

Snitker brought Kranitz on board because of his vast experience and ability to communicate with the various pitching staffs he’s coached throughout his career.

“He’s an old-school guy, and he’s all about the makeup [of the individual] and getting close to the players and talking to them every day,” Snitker said. “They appreciate that, because they know he’s for them and would go to the end of the Earth for them.”

It’s Kranitz’s loyalty to his players that has made him a valuable commodity in the coaching market.

“He lives and dies with these guys, and it comes across,” Snitker said. “If you’re one of his pitchers, he’s right in there with you.”

Charlie Morton, Braves starter and winner of Friday’s contest, said he was well aware of Kranitz’s achievement and felt honored to have been a contributing factor.

“That was pretty special,” said Morton, who shut out the Marlins through seven innings, allowing two hits and striking out seven. “He had mentioned it the other day, and I think he thought I would forget about it. I’m happy for him.”

Kranitz landed his first job as a pitching coach in 2002 with the Chicago Cubs. He was named the pitching coach for the Florida Marlins in 2006 and earned Baseball America’s 2006 Major League Coach of the Year honors.

He followed up with stints in Baltimore, Houston and Philadelphia before landing in Atlanta.

A pitcher himself during his playing days, Kranitz was a third-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1977 MLB Draft, and a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the secondary phase of the Draft that same year. He was a fourth-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1979 Draft out of Oklahoma State University.

As a player, Kranitz never made it to the Major Leagues. He spent seven seasons in the Minors, including two years at the Triple-A level with the Milwaukee Brewers' organization. Mostly used as a starting pitcher, Kranitz compiled a 37-39 career record with a 3.98 ERA. He struck out 512 batters over 635 2/3 innings.