[4] He might have quit baseball over the racial difficulties that he experienced, but he was encouraged by letters he received from friend and baseball scout Bob Zuk. [5], Beloved in Pittsburgh for his style of play and affable manner, Stargell hit seven of the 18 balls ever hit over Forbes Field's 86-foot-high right-field stands [6] and several of the upper-tier home runs at its successor, Three Rivers Stadium. Stargell won his second home-run title that year, edging out three Atlanta Braves: Davey Johnson's 43, Darrell Evans' 41 and Aaron's 40. After hitting 32 homers uring a memorable regular season, Stargell had two more during an NL playoffs sweep of Cincinnati. He also led the league in runs batted in and slugging percentage. He was a Seven Time All-Star. He also posted a career batting average of .282, with 2,232 hits and 1,540 runs batted in. Willie Stargell played leftfielder and first baseman. 8, here are eight cards that spanned the slugger's career. Later, he returned to Alameda, California, to live with his mother. Though he became quickly known as Willie Stargell, his autograph suggests that he preferred his given name, Wilver. In 1999, he ranked 81st on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,[20] and was also nominated as a finalist for the MLB All-Century Team. $5.85 shipping. WATCH StargelStadium dedication in 2004. The current StargelStadium No. Willie, or "Pops," as you like to call him, was an American professional baseball player. 553 Stargell Rookie Card Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, who led the Pittsburgh Pirates to two World Series titles with tape-measure home runs and patriarchal leadership that earned him the nickname "Pops," died . Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente estimated, perhaps generously, that Stargell hit 400 fly balls to the warning track in left and center fields during his eight seasons in the park. Stargell died yesterday of a stroke at age 61, and Pittsburgh mourned on a day that should have been set aside for glory, a day when the Pirates opened their new downtown ballpark featuring. April 9, 2020 5 AM PT Willie Stargell, who led the Pittsburgh Pirates to two World Series championships with his tape-measure home runs and patriarchal leadership, died on this date in 2001. Steelers' legend Franco Harris died Wednesday, just two days before the 50 th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception and just three days before his number 32 is retired by the Steelers during a game at Acrisure Stadium against the Las Vegas Raiders.. Pirates' legend Willie Stargell died just two days after his statue was unveiled outside PNC Park. PITTSBURGH (AP) - Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, the thunderous home run hitter who carried the Pittsburgh Pirates into two World Series with his power and helped win them with his patriarchal. Clearly not in good health, Stargell wiped away tears from his eyes as he hugged several players, including catcher Jason Kendall, amid a wave of cheers that rolled across the stadium that he closed as impressively as he opened it. In seven of the next nine seasons, Stargell finished in the top 10 in MVP voting, as his career moved onto a Hall of Fame track. In his later life, Stargell had also suffered from hypertension and heart failure. Among the most feared power hitters in baseball history, Stargell had the most home runs (296) of any player in the 1970s decade. Because of his race, he wasnt allowed to play against some southern teams, including Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia Tech. display: none; As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Stargell never hit more than 33 homers in Forbes Field, but hit 48 in his first full season in Three Rivers in 1971 and had 125 from 1971-73 until knee and elbow injuries cut into his production. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Jason, though, said his father wasnt bitter about it. Many in the West End community are not ready to let go of their historic field because of what it represents: a tribute to Willard Stargel, a former sports hero and a beloved Taft coach and teacher who overcame racism on the field and in the workplace. The first player to ever hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium is Pittsburgh Pirates legend Willie Stargell. They supported me when I was here, so I owe it to them to support them, said Ward, an All-American at Michigan and three-year pro. Stargell's career took off after the Pirates vacated Forbes Field's vast acreage for symmetrical Three Rivers and its 375-foot power alley. He grew up in Oakland, Calif., where he was spotted by Pirates scout Bob Zuk as he played on the same high school team as future majors leaguers Tommy Harper and Curt Motton. "You just felt for pitchers facing him. "Those were precious. Willie Stargell, May 8, 1973. In 1973, Stargell achieved the rare feat of simultaneously leading the league in both doubles and homers. However, it is known that he later moved to Florida with his aunt after his parents divorced. With a career riddled with injuries and nagging pain, Willie Stargell retired in 1982 after posting 2,232 hits, 1,195 runs . 3. On April he was admitted at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C. With Stargell batting cleanup for most of his 20-year career, the Pirates won World Series championships and NL pennants in 1971 and 1979 and six NL East titles from 1970-79. They excited fans with numerous come-from-behind victories along the way (many during their final at-bat) to claim the division pennant on the last day of the season. The best offer he could get was teaching phys-ed in junior high, and he had to go back to summer school to get credits to qualify. He was subjected to racism in the minor leagues, where an angry fan once confronted him with a shotgun. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By Alan Robinson MMI The Associated Press. Willie Stargell. I briefly described Steve Blass Disease, which I wrote about here in August, an affliction named for a Pirates starter of the early 1970s who, for no clear reason, lost his ability to pitch. 5d 22h. His 475 career home runs, 1,540. Willie Stargell hit 475 home runs during his career. Mr. Stargell received a thunderous ovation in October during the Pirates' final game at Three Rivers Stadium. Tanner agreed that Stargell's personal magnetism was a key ingredient in the clubhouse. Stargell's career took off after the Pirates vacated Forbes Field's vast acreage for symmetrical Three Rivers and its 375-foot power alley. PITTSBURGH -- Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, the thunderous home run hitter who carried the Pittsburgh Piratesinto two World Series with his power and helped win them with his patriarchal. 1940 Willie Stargell was born on March 6, 1940 in Earlsboro, Oklahoma, USA as Wilver Dornal Stargell. Too easy? Corrections? Aman who was a role model and a father figure to many of his players and students. He has led the National League in home runs two times and RBIs once. If he forgot to give you one, we'd be at his locker saying, `Willie, I did this' or 'Willie, I did that.' Teammate Al Oliver once said, "If he asked us to jump off the Fort Pitt Bridge, we would ask him what kind of dive he wanted. "I was like a kid on Christmas Eve who couldn't wait to open his presents," Stargell said of the mid-1970 move into Three Rivers. While in Plainview, Texas, he was accosted at gunpoint by a man who threatened his life if he played in that night's game. Pirates manager Chuck Tanner said of Stargell, "Having him on your ball club is like having a diamond ring on your finger." display: block; Willie was suffering from a kidney ailment and heart disease caused by high blood pressure for a long time. He would see to it that we got home after practice and he would make sure we got to school on time.. The Pirates struggled early in Stargells career, but the team turned the corner in the 1970s, winning the National League (NL) Eastern Division title six times in the decade. A 12-foot bronze statue of Willie Stargell was unveiled at the left field entrance to the Pirates new ballpark in Pittsburgh on Saturday. "We fought for those stars," former teammate Bill Robinson said Monday. One of the loudest came during the Pirates' final game at Three Rivers on Oct. 1, 2000, several days after it was announced the statue would be erected at PNC Park. Stargell promptly did, the chicken was distributed - and Stargell sent Prince the bill. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. I went up there the next day and sat in that seat, and everybody on field looked like puppets, that's how far it traveled. A 12 foot bronze statue of Stargell was erected in front of the Pirates PNC Park to honor one of the town's true sports legends. We can't be judged inadequate, he said, referring to racial prejudices. Unfortunately, he died on April 9, 2001, due to a stroke. In a 21-year-career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he hit 475 home runs and shared the National . Prince himself once promised free chicken to listeners if Stargell hit a home run; Stargell did homer and Prince picked up a $400 bill at the restaurant. Apart from that, as of 2019, the highest-earning MLB player is Stephen Strasburg, with an annual income of $38.3 million. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. As per some sources, the duo dated for a while and later got married. There's nothing I value more than the closeness of friends and family, a smile as I pass someone on the street. RELATED ACTIVITIES About Us Despite playing the front half of his career in Forbes Field, a graveyard for left-handed hitters with a right-field power alley of 436 feet, Stargell averaged 24 homers from 1963-69. He left center stage to the 38-year-old Clemente, who, fearful he would never play in another Series, turned the postseason into a personal showcase of his grace, talent and determination. What was the cause of Willie Stargell death? For his first 10 years in the majors, Stargell was content to play in Clemente's shadow, even after Stargell surpassed him in production. The Pirates retired his #8 in 1982 and erected a 12-foot bronze statue of Willie at the entrance to left at PNC Park (The Pittsburgh Pirates current home). Three Rivers Stadium, a neutral hitter's park, boosted Stargell's power numbers. In that game, Joe Torre hit two homers in a losing cause In 1972, against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Stargell launched a home run off Claude Osteen that was . Willard Stargel and UC teammates from 1946 (Courtesy of University of Cincinnati Archives & Rare Books Library). The spot where the ball landed was eventually marked with a yellow star with a black "S" inside a white circle until Stargell's 2001 death, when the white circle was painted black. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Stargell had been in failing health for several years due to a kidney disorder, according to officials at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C., where he died. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He is a celebrity baseball player. The Pirates postponed a formal ceremony dedicating the statue because Stargell could not attend. Stargel should have been the head coach, but at the time there were no black head coaches in the PHSL, Allen wrote in a book, 100 OrSo Boyhood Memories of the Real West Endies., Even though we loved Joe Corcoran (the white head coach), our confidant was Mr. Stargel He knew, better than we, what was what., He was sort of like a father to many of us, Bobby Chapman, who played at Taft in the late 50s, said in an Enquirer article in 1990. It's the end of an era. A clubhouse drug scandal and subequent 1985 federal court trial in Pittsburgh implicated more than 30 major leaguers and badly tarnished not only the Pirates' image, but baseball's as well. "I think it's an awesome tribute to Dad,"said Jason,a Cincinnati firefighter and former UC football star like his dad. Count that, too, as part of the legacy of Willard Stargel. The season was scheduled to end in a dramatic, four-game showdown against the Phillies in Pittsburgh, in which the Pirates had to win all four games to claim the title. Despite developing a kidney disorder that required frequent dialysis, Stargell later worked in the Braves' minor league department for 10 years until returning to the Pirates in 1997 as an aide to general manager Cam Bonifay. The point here is that Amphetamines . Stargel went on to UC and lettered in football, basketball and track and became one of UCs first black football players in 1942. [26], List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders, List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle, List of Major League Baseball home run records, List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders, List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders, List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise, "Willie Stargell at the Baseball Hall of Fame", "Biography: Stargell, Wilver Dornell (Willie, Pops)", "Obituary: Willie Stargell: Numbers couldn't measure the man", April 17, 1964 Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Mets Play by Play and Box Score, "September 30, 1978 Philadelphia Phillies at Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score and Play by Play", "Montreal Expos at Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score, October 3, 1982 | Baseball-Reference.com", "June 25, 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score and Play by Play", "Stargell's star a lasting tribute; Blast is marking point for all hitters", "Stargell was Pirates' inspirational leader in '70s", "In a time of upheaval, a constant remains Chipper Jones", "Willie Stargell Gave Out Amphetamines, Dale Berra Testifies", "Stargell hospitalized, undergoing treatment", "100 Greatest Baseball Players by the Sporting News: A Legendary List by Baseball Almanac", "Willie Stargell: Numbers couldn't measure the man", "Sickle Cell Society Inc/Murray Irvis Genetic Disease Center: A History of Care", "The Williie Stargell Foundation Website", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Willie_Stargell&oldid=1132452504, September 16,1962,for thePittsburgh Pirates, October 3,1982,for thePittsburgh Pirates, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 23:36. One of our talks stands out. Nicknamed "Pops," Stargell was a dynamic leader on the field with his tape-measure shots and a fatherly yet forceful presence off it, distributing his coveted Stargell stars for extra effort to teammates who proudly attached them to their ballcaps. he'd yell when one sailed over the fence. Works: Willie Stargell: An Autobiography. "My heart has not changed. Willie Stargell died on April 9, 2001, in Wilmington, North Carolina, of a kidney disorder. He died on April 9, 2001, New Hanover Regional Medical Center. When did willie stargell die? Stargell died on the same day that the Pittsburgh Pirates opened their new ballpark, PNC Park. "He was the ultimate class act," McClatchy said. Despite developing a kidney disorder that required frequent dialysis, Stargell later worked in the Braves' minor league department for 10 years until returning to the Pirates yet again in 1997 as an aide to general manager Cam Bonifay. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 6 March. He retired following the 1982 season with a .282 career batting average, 1,540 RBI and seven All-Star Game selections. Willie married Margaret Weller of Wilmington in 1993 at . Monica Williams is counting on that, too. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. Stargell wore the mantle of leadership as well as he did an outfielder's glove or a first baseman's mitt as an unappreciated defensive player. Stargell died in a Wilmington, North Carolina, hospital on April 9, 2001. The Pirates lost the first two games of that series, which Stargell said that media began referring to as "the St. Valentine's Day Massacre" before Pittsburgh's comeback.[9]. , boosted Stargell 's career took off after the Pirates vacated Forbes Field 's acreage! Due to a stroke, or & quot ; Pops, & quot ; as a,! 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