Willie Stargell, whose great menacing bat and gentle patriarch's compassion were the hallmarks of his singular 21-year-career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, died of a stroke shortly after. Thats not enough to reopenher business somewhere else, she said. The home run was his third of the series and, coincidentally, credited Stargell with the winning runs in both Game 7s of the two postseason meetings between the Pirates and the Orioles (1971 and 1979). If he forgot to give you one, we'd be at his locker saying, `Willie, I did this' or 'Willie, I did that.' Willie Stargell Signed Baseball Treat Authentics COA Official League Baseball $59.00 $10.00 shipping or Best Offer Willie Stargell Signed ONL William White Baseball 1990's SUPER CLEAN Pirates COA $115.00 $11.45 shipping or Best Offer Willie Stargell Autographed Signed Official National League Baseball Pirates HOF $75.00 $5.99 shipping or Best Offer 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. "Nobody could hit a ball as far as Willie," Tanner said. He never made anybody look bad and he never said anything bad about anybody. After Stargell died, Joe Morgan said, "When I played, there were 600 baseball players, and 599 of them loved Willie Stargell. This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Friday nights were our nights.. 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. He grew up in Oakland, Calif., where he was spotted by Pirates scout Bob Zuk while playing on a high school team. Willie, or "Pops," as you like to call him, was an American professional baseball player. Another fan, Rich Cromer, recalled the anticipation in the crowd every time Stargell came to the plate. Where is Willie Stargell buried? Unfortunately, he died on April 9, 2001, due to a stroke. Advertise with us On June 25, 1971, Stargell hit the longest home run in Veterans Stadium history during a 144 Pirates win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He slumped badly in 1976, after Dolores developed a blood clot on her brain, but won the comeback player of the year award in 1978 after hitting 28 homers and driving in 97 runs in 390 at-bats. However, it is known that the duo had a son, Williw Jr., and a daughter, Kelli. The 1979 World Series victory also made the Pirates the only franchise in baseball history to twice recover from a three-games-to-one deficit and win a World Series (previously they had done so in 1925 against the Washington Senators). 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]. "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. Willie Stargell Birthday and Date of Death. Willie was suffering from a kidney ailment and heart disease caused by high blood pressure for a long time. Willie Stargell. #inline-recirc-item--id-a4809f9c-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { }, First published on April 9, 2001 / 8:32 AM. Willie Stargell played leftfielder and first baseman. 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. "The whole family was just so excited when the Taft alumni suggested that the stadium, Taft Stadium, be named Willard Stargel.". "He didn't just hit pitchers, he took away their dignity," former Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton said. Stargell also had three homers, including the decisive shot in Game 7 in Baltimore, as the Pirates rallied from a 3-1 deficit to wrest the World Series title from the favored Orioles. The 1970 Pirates won the National League East title for their first postseason berth since winning the 1960 World Series. I did very well because of him.. . He smacked a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 61 years old group. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 6 March. "This team was much different than any team I played for," Candelaria . "Around here in the West End, there is no other stadium except Stargel Stadium where the Blacks could look up to and say, 'Hey, I knew him, " said Sterling Trice, Taft Alumni Association president. The short fence in right field (300 feet (91m) to the foul pole) at Forbes Field was guarded by a screen more than 20 feet (6.1m) high which ran from the right-field line to the 375-foot (114m) mark in right center. Age at Death: 61. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. 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. Stargell signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and entered minor league baseball in 1959. 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. Dodger Hall of Famer Don Sutton said of Stargell, "I never saw anything like it. He had an awkward interaction with the Pirates that season when the team wanted to schedule a Willie Stargell Night to honor his Hall of Fame election. Stargell's swings seemed designed to hit home runs of Ruthian proportions. Wilver was 61 years old at the time of death. A source close to the Pirates blamed Stargell's health problems on his gaining weight after retiring as a player. Fri 20 Apr 2001 21.07 EDT. Willie Stargell Life is one big transition. For a time, whenever he homered, Stargell's restaurant would give away free chicken to all patrons present in the restaurant at the time of the home run, in a promotion dubbed "Chicken on the Hill with Will". During his career, he batted .282 with 2,232 hits, 1,194 runs, 423 doubles, 475 home runs, and 1,540 runs batted in, helping his team win six National League (NL) East division titles, two NL pennants, and two World Series championships in 1971 and 1979, both over the Baltimore Orioles. He stayed active in baseball by performing various coaching duties for the Pirates and for the Atlanta Braves. Willie Stargell. display: none; Hall of Fame slugger Willie Stargell, who led the Pirates to two World Series victories with his tape-measure home runs, died of a stroke yesterday at age 61. Stargelquickly won the respect and admiration of the team, according to a former player, Malcolm Lindsay Allen Sr. Mr. . Stargell's first wife, Dolores, kept detailed statistics on every ball he hit and estimated he would have had 22 more homers in 1969 if the Pirates had played in Three Rivers Stadium, which opened a year later. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Jason Stargel says hes a soccer enthusiast and hes pro-FC Cincinnati, but he also wants to protect his father's legacy. Willie Stargell is a MLB baseball player. Willie Stargell had 2,232 hits in his career. display: none; The reason for the divorce is rumored to be due to the affairs Willie had with his second wife before their marriage. The end of November. To remember No. Stargell lost some of that weight, but gained weight again while working for the Pittsburgh front office.[19]. A segment of Stargell's bowel was removed more than two years before he 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. While in Plainview, Texas, he was accosted at gunpoint by a man who threatened his life if he played in that night's game. The first player to ever hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium is Pittsburgh Pirates legend Willie Stargell. His batting average dropped more than 40 points that season from .315 in 1966 to .271 in 1967; his home run total was reduced from 33 in 1966 to 20 in 1967. He won the final two NL Player of the Month awards of his career in April (.347, 11 HR, 27 RBI) and in June (.333, 11 HR, 36 RBI); yet he did not win the MVP award, finishing second to Joe Torre. Lodging for black players was located in the poor black areas of those towns. He was then pinch run by Doug Frobel and subsequently was replaced by Richie Hebner at first base.[12]. At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, and with a deep, commanding voice, Stargell intimidated pitchers even before they delivered the ball by pinwheeling the bat in rhythm with their delivery. The Friday night lights at Taft High School are almost out. ", Why Willard Stargel was such a giant in West End. On April 7, 2001, two days before Stargell died, a larger-than-life statue of him was unveiled at the Pirates' new stadium, PNC Park, as part of the opening-day ceremonies. It wasn't until 1960, when Stargell was 19, that the two men finally met. Mr. Stargell, 52, whose full name is Wilver Dornel Stargell, is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Count that, too, as part of the legacy of Willard Stargel. The next day it was Roberto Clemente. The Friday night lights at Taft High School are almost out. Willie Stargell's widow, Dolores, said she, her children and grandchildren were "completely blindsided'' by his second wife's decision to auction the Hall of Famer's memorabilia, including his . 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. He was the first minor-league hitting coach for Chipper Jones. Only months from his 40th birthday, he made an unprecedented three-way sweep of MVP awards, sharing the NL award with Keith Hernandez of St. Louis and winning it in the playoffs and World Series - a feat still not matched. Starting in 1981, sickle cell awareness and fundraising was gradually being assumed by The Sickle Cell Society Inc. Just as Clemente mentored him, Mr. Stargell said he tried to mentor other players. The Pirates fell apart after Stargell retired in 1982. He would see to it that we got home after practice and he would make sure we got to school on time.. Stargell played and nothing came of the incident. Privacy Policy He was 61. Willie Stargell, 61, a hulking fixture of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won World Series championships in 1971 and 1979 and a baseball Hall of Famer who demoralized pitchers with towering. CINCINNATI - It's the end of an era. Birthday: March 6, 1940. The team mandated that he diet to get down to a weight of 215 pounds. Willie was suffering from a kidney ailment and heart disease caused by high blood pressure for a long time. [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. I still miss him. Only months from his 40th birthday, he made an unprecedented three-way sweep of MVP awards, sharing the NL award with Keith Hernandez of St. Louis and winning it in the playoffs and World Series -- a feat still not matched. 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. A 12-foot bronze statue of Willie Stargell was unveiled at the left field entrance to the Pirates new ballpark in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Did you know that Willie, his nickname, won the 1979 Most Valuable Player Award, the 1979 League Championship Most Valuable Player Award, and the 1979 World Series Most Valuable Player Award the only player in Major League history to have won all three MVPs during the same season? In 1982, former teammate Steve Blass said of Stargell that, "Besides the records, stats and numbers, the thing that impressed me the most was that Willie conveyed to the fans how much fun he had playing the game.". Stargell was subjected to racism in the minor leagues, where an angry fan once confronted him with a shotgun, but quickly won them over with his power and personality. [21] Champion Enterprises sponsors a Willie Stargell Memorial Awards Banquet which raises money for disadvantaged children in Pittsburgh. Discover Willie Stargell's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. That included Jason and his twobrothers and two sisters, he said. About Us Stargel Stadium in the West End with the Downtown skyline to the south. Stargell's first wife, Dolores, kept detailed statistics on every ball he hit and estimated he would have had 22 more homers in 1969 if the Pirates had played in Three Rivers Stadium, which opened a year later. Mr. Stargell received a thunderous ovation in October during the Pirates' final game at Three Rivers Stadium. And he told Jason, in particular, to be himself. "We won, we lived and we enjoyed as one," Stargell said. Price on day of issue was 45. One of the greatest home run hitters ever, in volume and in distance, Stargell hit 475 homers - many of them soaring, majestic shots that rattled a pitcher's confidence. [3], Stargell played for farm teams in New Mexico, North Dakota, Iowa, Texas, North Carolina, and Ohio. 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). WATCH StargelStadium dedication in 2004. [14] The star remained in place until the stadium's 2004 demolition. We all stood together, Ward said. I understand that, Berding said. On August 1 of that year, Stargell collected five extra-base hitsthree doubles and two home runsin the Pirates' 2010 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Fulton County Stadium. He was grateful for getting the head coaching job at Walnut, Jason said. Baseball, Coffee, Trying. His 475 career home runs, 1,540. 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