Willie Stargell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Willie Stargell | |
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| Outfielder, First baseman | |
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| September 16, 1962 for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Final game | |
| October 3, 1982 for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .282 |
| Home runs | 475 |
| RBI | 1540 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Wilver Dornel "Willie" Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" in the later years of his career, was a professional baseball player who played his entire Major League career (1962-1982) with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an outfielder and first baseman.
Over his 21-year career with the Pirates, he batted .282, with 2,232 hits, 423 doubles, 475 home runs and 1540 runs batted in, helping his team capture six National League East division titles, two National League pennants and two World Series (1971, 1979).
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[edit] Career
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| Willie Stargell is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame |
Stargell was born in Earlsboro, Oklahoma, but later moved to Alameda, California where he attended Encinal High School. He was signed by the Pirates at age 18, and made his Major League debut at the end of the 1962 season. He soon became a standout player, making his first of 7 trips to the All-Star Game in 1964.
In 1973 Stargell achieved the rare feat of simultaneously leading the league in both doubles and homers, with more than 40 of each; the last player to chalk up this 40-40 accomplishment was Hank Greenberg in 1940.
In 1979 Stargell earned the NLCS, World Series, and National League MVP (the latter being shared with Keith Hernandez), the only player to have won all three in a single year. He shared the Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsmen of the Year" award with NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who also played at Three Rivers Stadium, for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Beloved in Pittsburgh for his style of play and affable manner, Stargell was known throughout baseball for hitting monstrous home runs, including 7 of the 16 balls ever hit completely out of Forbes Field and several of the upper-tier home runs at its successor, Three Rivers Stadium. At one time, he held the record for the longest homer in nearly half of the National League parks.
He also originated the practice of giving his teammates "stars" for their caps. Upon a good play or game, Stargell would give fellow players an embroidered star to place on their caps, which at the time were "throwback" caps. These stars became known as "Stargell Stars".
Also, when Stargell would hit a homerun, Bob Prince, the colorful and long-term Pirate radio announcer would say "Chicken on the Hill". This stemmed from Stargell's ownership of a chicken restaurant in Pittsburgh's Hill District. For a time, when he blasted a homer, they would give away free chicken, hence "Chicken on the Hill with Will".
After retirement, Stargell spent several years as a coach for the Atlanta Braves. In 1988, Stargell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. In 1999, he ranked Number 81 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He died of a stroke in Wilmington, North Carolina at the age of 61, on the day a larger-than-life statue of him was unveiled at the Pirates' new stadium, PNC Park.
[edit] Other “Stargellesque” Home Runs
In addition to Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium, Stargell also hit some of the longest home runs at several other parks:
- Stargell hit two of the (currently) only four home runs ever hit completely out of Dodger Stadium. The first came on August 5, 1969 off Alan Foster and measured 506 feet—to date, the longest home run ever hit at the park. The second came on May 8, 1973 off Andy Messersmith; it measured 473 feet.
- In 1978, against Steve Rogers of the Montreal Expos, Stargell hit a home run into the upper deck of Olympic Stadium, the only fair ball ever hit there.
- Stargell also hit the longest home run ever hit at Veterans Stadium. The spot where the ball landed was marked with a yellow star with a black "S" inside a white circle. After Stargell's death, the white circle was painted black and remained there until the stadium's 2004 demolition.
[edit] Quotations about Stargell
- "I never saw anything like it. He doesn't just hit pitchers, he takes away their dignity." - Don Sutton
- "If he asked us to jump off the Fort Pitt Bridge, we would ask him what kind of dive he wanted. That's how much respect we have for the man." - Pirates teammate Al Oliver
- "Having him (Willie Stargell) on your ball club is like having a diamond ring on your finger." - Pirates manager Chuck Tanner
[edit] Stargell's own quotations
- "The (umpire) says 'play' ball, not 'work' ball."
- "Trying to hit Sandy Koufax was like trying to drink coffee with a fork."
- "Throwing a knuckleball for a strike is like throwing a butterfly with hiccups across the street into your neighbor's mailbox."
- "Now I know why they boo Richie (controversial star Dick Allen) all the time. When he hits a home run, there's no souvenir." - After Allen, also well known for mammoth home runs and not very beloved by Philadelphia Phillies fans, once hit a ball over the left-center field roof of Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium.
Highlights
- Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (1988)
- Co-National League MVP (shared with Keith Hernandez, 1979)
- 7-time Top 10 MVP (1971-75, 1978-79)
- 7-time All-Star (1964-66, 1971-73, 1978)
- National League Championship Series MVP (1979)
- World Series MVP (1979)
- ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year (1979)
- Led National League in Slugging Percentage (1973)
- Twice led National League in OPS (1973-74)
- Led National League in Doubles (1973)
- Twice led National League in Home Runs (1971 and 1973)
- Led National League in RBI (1973)
- Twice led National League in Extra-Base Hits (1971 and 1973)
- Hit for the cycle (1964)
[edit] See also
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- Hitting for the cycle
- MLB players who have hit 30 or more home runs before the All-Star break
- Top 500 home run hitters of all time
- Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
[edit] External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- Stargell rated among the Top 10 Leftie Homerun Hitters
- The Deadball Era
Categories: Baseball Hall of Fame | Lou Gehrig Memorial Award | Major league left fielders | Major league first basemen | Pittsburgh Pirates players | National League All-Stars | National League home run champions | National League RBI champions | African American baseball players | People from Oklahoma | Major league players from Oklahoma | 1940 births | 2001 deaths | Baseball players who have hit for the cycle
