Career
In 1952, he was signed as an amateur free agent. Born July 27, 1933, in Hoboken, New Jersey, Kucks grew up in Jersey City and played baseball at William L. Dickinson High School. On May 26, 1959 he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics, together with Jerry Lumpe and Tom Sturdivant, for Ralph Terry and Héctor López.
On October 11, 1961 he was purchased by the Baltimore Orioles from the Athletics, but on December 1, 1961 the Orioles traded him to the Saint Louis Cardinals for minor leaguer Ron Kabbes.
However, he never played again in the majors. Kucks was also the last pitcher to face Jackie Robinson, striking him out for the final out of the 1956 World Series.
A longtime resident of Hillsdale, New Jersey since his days with the Yankees, Kucks worked as a stockbroker after his baseball career ended. He died of cancer on October 31, 2013, at the Villa Marie Claire hospice in Saddle River, New Jersey.