I’m no Giants fan, to be sure. But this man was a class act.
And he could sure as shit mash a pitch.
Willie McCovey dies at 80 after Hall of Fame career with San Francisco Giants (CBSSports.com)
McCovey starting in 1959 as a 21-year-old spent 22 seasons in the major leagues. All but three of those came with the San Francisco Giants. Along the way, McCovey tallied 521 home runs; 1,555 RBI; 1,229 runs; 2,211 hits; and 1,345 walks (260 of which were intentional). McCovey also boasted a career line of .270/.374/.515 (147 OPS+) with a career WAR of 64.5. McCovey made the All-Star team six times and won the NL MVP Award in 1969. All those aforementioned intentional walks speak to his standing as one of the most feared left-handed hitters of all-time.
McCovey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1986.
It is with great sadness that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Hall of Famer Willie McCovey passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 80 after losing his battle with ongoing health issues. #Forever44 | #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/ooOYg4ESol
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) October 31, 2018
Rest in peace, Good Sir.
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My Dad remembers listening to McCovey’s first game on the radio from across the country(Fuck Horace Stoneham), the man had two triples. He then took a baby nomonkey to Stretch’s last home game. He said that was the moment he felt like a full adult.
Why couldn’t Bobby Richardson have been a few inches shorter?