By JOHN PERROTTO
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dave Parker, a hard-hitting outfielder who won a World Series with the Oakland A’s and was set to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame next month, has died, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced Saturday. He was 74.
No further details about Parker’s death were immediately available. The Pirates informed the crowd of his death just before the start of their game against the New York Mets and held a moment of silence.
FILE – Dave Parker, a member of the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates World Championship team, tips his cap during a pre-game ceremony honoring the team before a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies in Pittsburgh, Saturday, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Nicknamed “the Cobra,” the 6-foot-5 Parker made his major league debut in 1973 and played 19 seasons, 11 for the Pirates. He was the NL MVP in 1978, won a World Series with Pittsburgh a year later and then won another championship in 1989 with the Athletics.
Parker might be best known for throwing out two runners from right field during the 1979 All-Star Game at the Seattle Kingdome. Parker’s second throw reached catcher Gary Carter on the fly before the then-Expos catcher tagged out the Angels’ Brian Downing to preserve a 6-6 tie in the eighth inning and is a video staple of every MLB All-Star Game. Parker, then at the height of his powers with the “We Are Family” Pirates, who would win the World Series that October, was the MVP of the game, an eventual 7-6 win by the National League.
“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer Dave Parker, a legendary Pirate,” the Pirates said in a statement.
Parker won NL batting titles in 1977 and ’78. He finished his career as a .290 hitter with 339 homers and 1,493 RBIs. He also played for Cincinnati, Milwaukee, the California Angels and Toronto.
Parker was elected to the Hall of Fame by a special committee in December. The induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York, is set for July 27.
“We join the baseball family in remembering Dave Parker. His legacy will be one of courage and leadership, matched only by his outstanding accomplishments on the field,” Hall chairman Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement. “His election to the Hall of Fame in December brought great joy to him, his family and all the fans who marveled at his remarkable abilities.”
Born on June 9, 1951 in Grenada, Mississippi, Parker grew up in Cincinnati and was a three-sport star at Courter Tech High School.
FILE – Pittsburgh Pirates’ Dave Parker poses in this 1982 photo. (AP Photo/File)
After playing for Pittsburgh from 1973-83, he signed with his hometown Reds and spent four seasons with the club. In 1985 he led the NL with 125 RBIs and was second in the MVP voting.
“He was such a big dude at a time when there weren’t that many ‘6-foot-5, 230-pound, dynamic defender, batting champion with power’ guys,” Hall of Famer and Reds teammate Barry Larkin said. “Everything about him was impressive.”
In a statement, the Reds said: “Dave was a towering figure on the field, in the clubhouse and in the Cincinnati community, where his baseball journey began, playing on the fields near his home and going to games at Crosley Field. Dave’s impact on the game and this franchise will never be forgotten.”
Parker was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2012.
He told reporters that he burst into tears upon learning of his selection to the Hall of Fame.
“Yeah, I cried,” Parker said after receiving the news. “It only took a few minutes, because I don’t cry.”
Parker homered for the A’s in the 1989 World Series opener and took credit for helping the Bash Brothers of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire take the title with a four-game sweep of San Francisco.
FILE – Oakland Athletics Dave Henderson (42) greets teammate Dave Parker (39) after Parker hit a home run against the San Francisco Giants in the third inning in Game 1 of baseball’s World Series, Oct. 14, 1989, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, File)
He was a seven-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove right fielder, and when he retired after the 1991 season, he was one of only five players with at least 500 doubles, 300 homers, 150 stolen bases and 2,700 hits.
“I was a five-tool player. I could do them all,” Parker said after his Hall selection. “I never trotted to first base. I don’t know if people noticed that, but I ran hard on every play.”
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