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Willie Stargell
Willie Stargell
Outfielder / First baseman
Born: March 6, 1940(1940-03-06)
Earlsboro, Oklahoma
Died: April 9, 2001 (aged 61)
Wilmington, North Carolina
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     . Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in Baseball farthest from the batter First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Earlsboro is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Wilmington is a city in and the County seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers The 1962 season is perhaps most notable for the dismal 40-120 record of the New York Mets, which has been a continuing source of humor among baseball fans as well as comedians such as The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Champions Major League Baseball World Series Champion St Louis Cardinals World Series MVP Darrell The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Batting average is a Statistic in both Cricket and Baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively 282
Home runs     475
Run batted in     1,540
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Elected     1988
Vote     82. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 1962 season is perhaps most notable for the dismal 40-120 record of the New York Mets, which has been a continuing source of humor among baseball fans as well as comedians such as Champions Major League Baseball World Series Champion St Louis Cardinals World Series MVP Darrell The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League For other events named "World Series" see World Series (disambiguation. The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP award is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. The World Series MVP Award is given to the player who most contributes to his team's success in the World Series - the Most Valuable Player. The Babe Ruth Award was an annual award given to the Major League Baseball player with the best performance in the World Series, similar to the World Series MVP The Hutch Award is a Major League Baseball award given to an active player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire to win The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to a Major League Baseball player selected for his character and charitable contributions to his community The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award was created by the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity in honor of the former Major League Baseball player Lou Gehrig, who was a member of the See also 1988 Major League Baseball season Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers 4% (first ballot)

Wilver Dornell "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. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The 1962 season is perhaps most notable for the dismal 40-120 record of the New York Mets, which has been a continuing source of humor among baseball fans as well as comedians such as Champions Major League Baseball World Series Champion St Louis Cardinals World Series MVP Darrell The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in Baseball farthest from the batter First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run

Over his 21-year career with the Pirates, he batted . Batting average is a Statistic in both Cricket and Baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively 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). In Baseball statistics, a hit (denoted by H) sometimes called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches In Baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching Second base without being called out by the Umpire The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball For other events named "World Series" see World Series (disambiguation.

Contents

Career

Stargell was born in Earlsboro, Oklahoma, but later moved to Alameda, California where he attended Encinal High School. Earlsboro is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Encinal High School is a public coeducational high school serving grades 9-12 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. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League

In 1973 Stargell achieved the rare feat of simultaneously leading the league in both doubles and homers. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Oakland Athletics over New York Mets (4-3 Reggie Jackson, Stargell had more than 40 of each; he was the first player to chalk up this 40-40 accomplishment since Hank Greenberg in 1940; other players have done so since (notably Albert Belle, the only 50-50 player). Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg ( January 1, 1911, New York New York – September 4, 1986) nicknamed "Hammerin' Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cincinnati Reds over Detroit Tigers (4-3 All-Star Game Albert Jojuan Belle (born August 25, 1966) is a former American Major League Baseball Outfielder for the Cleveland Indians

Beloved in Pittsburgh for his style of play and affable manner, Stargell was known 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. Forbes Field was a Baseball park in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania from 1909 to 1971 Three Rivers Stadium was a Multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000 At one time, Stargell held the record for the longest homer in nearly half of the National League parks. Standing 6 feet 2 inches, Stargell seemed larger, with his long arms and unique bat-handling practice of holding only the knob of the bat with his lower hand combining to provide extra bat extension, Stargell's swings seemed designed to hit home runs of the Ruthian variety. A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of Baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. George Herman Ruth Jr (February 6 1895 &ndash August 16 1948 also popularly known as " Babe " " The Bambino " and " The Sultan of When most batters would use a simple lead-weighted bat in the on-deck circle, Stargell took to warming up with a sledgehammer, adding another layer of intimidation. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each A sledgehammer is a Tool consisting of a large flat head attached to a Lever (or handle While standing in the batter's box, he would windmill his bat until the pitcher started his windup. In Baseball, Softball, and similar sports and games the batter's box is the place where the batter stands when ready to receive a pitch In Baseball, there are two legal Pitching positions the windup and the set

He was the only player to ever hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium twice; only four home runs have ever left the premises at Chavez Ravine. Dodger Stadium is a large outdoor ballpark in Los Angeles California at Chávez Ravine. Chávez Ravine is the current site of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Stargell's first came on August 5, 1969 off Alan Foster and measured 506 feet—to date, the longest home run ever hit at Dodger Stadium. Events 642 - Battle of Maserfield - Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia. Champions Major League Baseball The most notable part of the 1969 season were the Miracle Mets World Series: New York Mets Alan Benton Foster (born December 8, 1946 in Pasadena, California) was a Major League Baseball Pitcher. The second, on May 8, 1973 against Andy Messersmith, measured 493 feet. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Oakland Athletics over New York Mets (4-3 Reggie Jackson, John Alexander "Andy" Messersmith (born August 6, 1945 in Toms River New Jersey) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed Dodger starter Don Sutton said of Stargell, "I never saw anything like it. Donald Howard Sutton (born April 2, 1945) is a former Major League Baseball player and current Television Sportscaster. He doesn't just hit pitchers, he takes away their dignity. "

In 1978, against Steve Rogers of the Montreal Expos, Stargell hit the only fair ball ever to reach the upper deck of Olympic Stadium. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers (4-2 Bucky Dent, MVP Stephen Douglas Rogers (born October 26, 1949) is a former Starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Franchise history Creation of the franchise In 1960 Montreal lost its International League team the Montreal Royals (an affiliate of The Olympic Stadium (Stade olympique is a Multi-purpose stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 The seat where the ball landed has been since painted in yellow, while the other seats in the upper deck are red. Stargell also hit the longest home run ever hit at Veterans Stadium. Philadelphia Veterans Stadium (informally called "The Vet") was a professional sports facility located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison The spot where the ball landed was later 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 visible until the stadium's 2004 demolition. Events On January 28, International Olympic Committee Vice-President Kim Un-yong is arrested on charges of corruption in Seoul

Bob Prince, the colorful longtime Pirate radio announcer would greet a Stargell home run with the phrase "Chicken on the Hill". Robert Ferris Prince ( July 1[[ 916]] - June 10[[ 985]] was an American Radio and Television Sportscaster and commentator This referred to Stargell's ownership of a chicken restaurant in Pittsburgh's Hill District. For a time, whenever he homered, Stargell's restaurant would give away free chicken in a promotion dubbed "Chicken on the Hill with Will".

Stargell also originated the practice of giving his teammates "stars" for their caps during the 1978 season. Upon a good play or game, Stargell would give fellow players an embroidered star to place on their caps, which at the time were old-fashioned pillbox caps. These stars became known as "Stargell Stars". The practice began in the turbulent 1978 season, when the Pirates came from 12 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies to challenge for the division title. In the bottom of the first inning of the season's penultimate game, Stargell belted a grand slam to give the Pirates a 4-1 lead. In the Sport of Baseball, a grand slam (or just slam for short is a Home run hit with all the bases occupied by baserunners, thereby After Pirates had relinquished the lead, Stargell sparked a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Pirates came one run short and were eliminated. Stargell called that 1978 team his favorite team ever, and predicted that the "family" would win the World Series the following year. For other events named "World Series" see World Series (disambiguation.

The Pirates did just that in 1979, in a fashion similar to the way they had ended the 1978 season: from last place in the NL East at the end of April, the Pirates clawed their way into a first place battle with the Montreal Expos during the latter half of the season, exciting 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 National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball 's six divisions Franchise history Creation of the franchise In 1960 Montreal lost its International League team the Montreal Royals (an affiliate of And Stargell led all the way. At his urging as captain, the team adopted the Sister Sledge hit song "We Are Family" as the team anthem. Then his play on the field inspired his teammates and earned him the MVP awards in both the NLCS and the World Series. Stargell capped off the year by hitting a dramatic home run in Baltimore during the late innings of a close Game Seven to seal a Pirates championship. That World Series victory made the Pirates the only franchise in baseball history to twice recover from a three-games-to-one deficit to win a World Series (in 1925 against the Washington Senators; in 1979 against the Baltimore Orioles). In the 1925 World Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the defending champion Washington Senators in seven games The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 1979 World Series matched the National League 's Pittsburgh Pirates (98-64 against the American League 's Baltimore Orioles (102-57 The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

In addition to his NLCS and World Series MVPs, Stargell was named the co-MVP of the 1979 season along with St. The World Series MVP Award is given to the player who most contributes to his team's success in the World Series - the Most Valuable Player. The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP award is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. Louis' Keith Hernandez). Keith Hernandez (nicknamed "Mex" (born October 20, 1953, in San Francisco California) is a former Major League Baseball First Stargell is the only player to have won all three trophies 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. Sports Illustrated is an American Sports Magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Since its inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated magazine has annually presented the " The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. Quarterback ( QB) is a position in American and Canadian football. Terry Paxton Bradshaw (born September 2 1948 is a former American football Quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League Three Rivers Stadium was a Multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000

Pirates manager Chuck Tanner said of Stargell, "Having him on your ball club is like having a diamond ring on your finger. Charles William Tanner (born July 4, 1929 in New Castle Pennsylvania) is a former Left fielder and manager in Major League Baseball " 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. Albert Oliver Jr (born October 14 1946 in Portsmouth Ohio) is a former Major League Baseball player The Fort Pitt Bridge is a steel double decker bowstring arch bridge that spans the Monongahela River near its confluence with the Allegheny River That's how much respect we have for the man. "

Some observers believe Stargell's career total of 475 home runs was depressed by playing in Forbes Field whose center field distance was 462 feet. Forbes Field was a Baseball park in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania from 1909 to 1971 Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente estimated, perhaps generously, that Stargell hit 400 flyballs to the warning track in left and center fields during his eight seasons in the park. Roberto Clemente Walker (August 18 1934 &ndash December 31 1972 was a professional baseball player and a Major League Baseball Right fielder. Three Rivers Stadium boosted Stargell's power numbers. Three Rivers Stadium was a Multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000 In his first full season in the Pirates' new stadium, 1971, Stargell led the league with 48 home runs. He won one other home run title, in 1973, his best season he hit 44 home runs and 119 rbi as well as a . 646 slugging percentage.

After retirement, Stargell spent several years as a coach for the Atlanta Braves. While working for the Braves, he heavily influenced a young Chipper Jones. Lawrence Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr (born April 24, 1972 in DeLand, Florida) is an American Major League He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988, his first year of eligibility. See also 1988 Major League Baseball season Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers In 1999, he ranked 81st on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was also nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Atlanta Braves (4-0 Mariano Rivera, MVP Sporting News (previously The Sporting News, and known colloquially as TSN) is an American -based Sports He died of a stroke in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 2001, on the same day that a larger-than-life statue of him was unveiled outside the Pirates' new stadium, PNC Park. A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain Wilmington is a city in and the County seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. PNC Park is a Baseball park located in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

His autographic suggests that he preferred "Wilver" to "Willie", and Dodgers' broadcaster Vin Scully typically called him "Wilver Stargell". Vincent Edward "Vin" Scully (born November 29, 1927 in The Bronx, New York) is an American Sportscaster,

Stargell's own quotations

Highlights

See also

External links

Keith Hernandez (nicknamed "Mex" (born October 20, 1953, in San Francisco California) is a former Major League Baseball First The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. ABC's Wide World of Sports was a long-running Sports Anthology show on American Television that ran as a series from 1961 to 1998 In Baseball, a player hits for the cycle when he hits a single, a double, a triple and a Home run in the same game though not necessarily Below is the list of 254 Major League Baseball players who have reached the 2000 hit milestone during their career in MLB In Baseball, a player hits for the cycle when he hits a single, a double, a triple and a Home run in the same game though not necessarily Listed below are the Major League Baseball players who have hit 30 or more Home runs before the All-Star Game break The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame honors sports figures who have made a significant impact in the San Francisco Bay Area. Players denoted in boldface are still actively contributing to the record noted See also List of lifetime home run leaders through history This is a list of the top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters. Below is the list of 155 Major League Baseball players who have reached the 400 doubles milestone Below is the list of 300 Major League Baseball players who have reached the 1000 Runs milestone Below is the list of 257 Major League Baseball players who have reached the 1000 RBI milestone Major League Baseball recognizes Runs batted in champions in the American League and National League each season Major League Baseball recognizes home run champions in the American League and National League each season Major League Baseball recognizes doubles champions in the American League and National League each season Listed below are the occurrences of Major League Baseball players who have hit three Home runs in a single game
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