Bothered by a sore shoulder the next two years, Kison adjusted his delivery in the 1973–74 offseason, becoming a full-time starter by the middle of 1974.

In 1982, though, he helped the Angels reach the playoffs and won a game for them in the American League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

A herniated disk suffered in 1983 threatened to end his career, but he returned to the Angels late in 1984 and pitched one final season for the Boston Red Sox in 1985 before retiring.

At Pasco High School, Kison threw three no-hitters, before getting selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 14th round of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft.

[2] Kison credited Harvey Haddix, a coach he had in the Gulf Coast League, as his most influential mentor.

[3] An infected tendon in his pitching hand kept him from throwing in spring training in 1971, but he won 10 of 12 starts for the Charleston Charlies of the Triple-A International League.

That strong start earned him a call-up to Pittsburgh for the first time in July, when Bob Moose had to serve a two-week stint in the United States Army Reserve.

[2] Kison made his debut on July 4 at Wrigley Field, allowing four runs over six innings in a no-decision against the Chicago Cubs.

"[4] He ended his rookie season 6–5 with a 3.40 earned run average (ERA) in 18 games (13 starts) and was part of the Pirates' playoff roster as a relief pitcher.

He threw 4+2⁄3 scoreless innings of relief, then picked up the win as the Pirates prevailed 9–5, earning a spot in the World Series.

"If you don’t go out to the mound scared, you better get out of the game.”[2] Kison then went on to be the winning pitcher in the first night game ever played in the Fall Classic.

[5] Again used as a reliever in the playoffs, he made two appearances in the 1972 NLCS, earning the win in Game 3 by pitching 1+1⁄3 scoreless innings over the Cincinnati Reds.

Sent to Charleston to get used to pitching again, Kison was optimistic after throwing against the Pirates in a charity benefit game on July 3: "I definitely think I can come back this season.

[5] Hoping to help his shoulder troubles out, the Pirates had Kison work with Don Osborn in the offseason.

With Osborn's help, Kison adopted a three-quarter delivery instead of the sidearm approached, which gave him better control and relieved tension on his shoulder.

[23] The nail trouble made it difficult for him to throw his fastball and slider, and he had to rely more on slower pitches, which limited his effectiveness.

[2][25] He pitched a one-hitter against the Padres, losing his no-hit bid when San Diego's Barry Evans doubled down the left field line with two out in the eighth.

[2] He had another memorable game against San Diego on August 26, when he hit a grand slam against Bob Shirley in a 7–0 victory.

Both teams were reported to offer over $2 million, and Kison ultimately chose the Angels, signing a five-year contract with them.

[5][35][36] The elbow injury required surgery; Kison was so embarrassed at being unable to fully fulfill his contract, he went to Bavasi and tried to give the money back.

[37] Initially, Kison complained of paralysis in his hand and a lack of feeling in three of his fingers after undergoing surgery on his ulnar nerve.

After Johnny Grubb of the Texas Rangers hit a line drive off his shin on June 22, the Angels moved Kison to the bullpen in favor of Dave Goltz.

[40] Kison threw nine shutout innings in a 7–0 victory over the Chicago White Sox, then held on to his rotation spot for the remainder of the year.

[40][42] He finished the season 10–5 with a 3.17 ERA in 33 games (16 starts) and made the playoffs for the sixth time as the Angels won the American League West.

Tabbed to start in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, Kison allowed two runs over nine innings in a 4–2 Angel victory.

[44] In 1983, Kison was the Opening Day starter for the Angels, the first time in his 13 seasons he got a chance to start his team's first game of the year.

[5] Kison's career was not over; though he spent the beginning of 1984 on the disabled list, he returned to the team on June 13 as a reliever.

[5] Kison joined the Boston Red Sox in 1985, rejoining McNamara, who had managed him the previous two seasons with the Angels.

Despite that, Kison had an ERA above the league average most years, and he finished his career with more than a hundred more innings pitched (1809+2⁄3) than hits allowed (1693).

Pat Jordan of Sports Illustrated attributed the hit-by-pitches to a late-breaking fastball and the need to throw inside pitches to keep his curveball effective.