Willie McCovey

At 80 years old, Willie McCovey physical status not available right now. We will update Willie McCovey's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Willie Lee McCovey (January 10, 1938 – October 31, 2018) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman.

Known as "Stretch" during his playing days and later identified as "Mac" and "Willie Mac," he is best known for his long time as one of the San Francisco Giants' most recognizable players. He spent 19 seasons with the Giants and three more with the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics over a 22-year career between 1959 and 1980.

He was a six-time All-Star, three-time home run champion, MVP, and in 1986, he was the 16th man to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the first man to be honoured. McCovey was regarded as a dead-pull line drive hitter by some clubs, causing others to use a shift against him.

When he retired, McCovey was dubbed "the hottest hitter in baseball" by pitcher Bob Gibson, who was seconded by similarly feared slugger Reggie Jackson, placing seventh on the all-time home run list.

McCovey was out in Candlestick Park, the most played by any player.

On September 16, 1966, it was described as the longest one to have ever been struck in the stadium.

Early life

McCovey was born in Mobile, Alabama, the seventh child of ten born to Frank McCovey, a railroad worker, and Esther. He started working part time at the age of 12 and dropped out of high school in order to work full time.

Personal life

McCovey's first marriage, to Karen McCovey, resulted in a child. Estela Bejar, his longtime girlfriend, was married at AT&T Park on August 1, 2018. He had a quiet demeanor.

McCovey and fellow baseball Hall of Famer Duke Snider have pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud claims that they failed to reveal nearly $70,000 in earnings from sports card shows and memorabilia transactions from 1988 to 1990. McCovey received two years of probation and was fined $5,000. On January 17, 2017, President Barack Obama pardoned him.

McCovey suffered with several health conditions in his later years, including atrial fibrillation and an infection that nearly killed him in 2015. He underwent multiple knee surgeries, which put him in a wheelchair, and he was hospitalized several times during his illness.

After fighting "ongoing health issues," McCovey died at Stanford University Medical Center at the age of 80 on October 31, 2018. He had been hospitalized for an infection late last week. Joe Morgan, his long-time friend and fellow Hall of Famer, was at his bedside. On November 8, 2018, AT&T Park hosted a public memorial service for McCovey.

Source

Professional career

Despite being passed over by scout Ed Scott, who signed Hank Aaron for the Negro American League Indianapolis Clowns, McCovey was invited to a New York Giants tryout camp while living and working in Los Angeles. Giants scout and former Negro league owner Alex Pompez extended his invitation.

McCovey made his career debut in 1955. McCovey was on the roster of the Sandersville Giants of the Georgia State League in Sandersville, Georgia, with McCovey having signed a contract worth $175.00 per month. His signing bonus was just $500. McCovey, a 17-year-old, 6'2", 165 pounds, and his team soared to.305 with 19 home runs, scoring 113 runs in 107 games.

McCovey played for a San Francisco Giants' farm club in Dallas, Texas, which was a member of the Class AA Texas League. Due to segregation in Shreveport, Louisiana, he did not participate when his team played. He played for the Phoenix Giants in the Pacific Coast League right before being called up by the San Francisco Giants.

McCovey went four-for-four against Hall-of-Famer Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30, 1959, winning two singles and two triples. Because the major leaguers had better control of their pitches, McCovey found major league pitchers easier to hit than minor leaguers. He had a.364 batting average and 13 home runs in 52 major league games. He was named National League Rookie of the Year (NL) by the year's best Rookie of the Year. In August, he received the NL Player of the Month Award for his first full month in the majors (.373, 8 HR, 22 RBI). He had a 22-game hitting streak, setting the San Francisco Giants rookie record, but four games short of the all-time team record.

McCovey's 1960 season was dissatisfaction. At one point, he was demoted to the minor leagues, and San Francisco fans booed him ferociously. He played in almost twice as many games as the previous year (101 to 52), batting.238.

McCovey was not the only first baseman on the Giants. Orlando Cepeda, who had won the NL Rookie of the Year Award the year before McCovey and played about 60 games at the position in 1959 while McCovey was in the minor leagues, was also in the first base. However, new boss Alvin Dark declared McCovey his first baseman for 1961, putting Cepeda in the right field to begin the year. Willie Mays has since been named as McCovey's roommate, according to Dark.

Dark decided to place Cepeda at first base full time and move McCovey to the outfield in 1962. James S. Hirsch, who wrote a Mays biography, noted that McCovey didn't need a glove to play outfield, but rather a blindfold and a cigarette." Dark played him only when a right-hander was getting up and often pinch-hit for McCovey because McCovey had failed against left-handed pitching. McCovey's game experience was limited to 91 games, but he has earned 20 home runs. He was a member of the New York Yankees in the World Series, his first World Series appearance of his career. In Game 2, where the Giants defeated Ralph Terry 2–0, he struck a home run against him. Mays was on second base and Matty Alou was on third base in the ninth inning of Game 7 with two outs and the Giants trailing 1–0. Any base hit would most likely have won the Giants' championship. McCovey was hit by Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson, putting an end to the game with a Yankee victory.

Charles M. Schulz' two Peanuts comic strips immortalized the moment. Charlie Brown sat for three panels before finally groaning, "Why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just three feet higher?" Charlie Brown was seen breaking a long silence by screaming, "Or why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball even higher?" - the second installment, which dates back to January 28, 1963. McCovey was asked how he'd like his work to be remembered on the occasion of his Hall of Fame vote 26 years ago. In the seventh game, McCovey replied, "as the one who beat Bobby Richardson's head."

McCovey and Willie Mays, a Hall-of-Fame member, spent many years at the center of the Giants' batting order. His best year, according to statistics, was 1969, when he hit 45 home runs, had 126 RBI, and batted.320 to become the National League MVP. After hitting two home runs to lead the National League team to a 9-3 victory over the American League, he was also named Most Valuable Player of the 1969 All-Star Game. He received the NL Player of the Month award in July 1963 (.310, 13 HR, 27 RBI) and August 1969 (.315, 22 RBI). Hank Aaron and Irma Aaron tied for the NL lead with 44 home runs in 1963.

Except for three small bleacher sections in the early years of Candlestick Park, the Giants' home stadium, the right field was wide open except for three small bleacher sections. Usually when McCovey came to bat, the bleachers would be emptied as the supporters parked themselves on the ground, hoping to catch a McCovey home run ball.

Injuries limited McCovey to 105 games in 1971, but the Giants defeated the NL West for the first time in nine years. He was afflicted by injuries in 1972 as he broke his arm early in the year in a collision at first base.

On October 25, 1973, Mike Caldwell and Bernie Williams from the Giants were swapped with the San Diego Padres for Mike Caldwell. McCovey, a 35-year-old McCovey, was furious about Charlie Fox's decision to eliminate his starting first baseman role in favour of Gary Thomasson, who suffered with arthritic knees for two seasons. The Giants had been selling their higher-priced players and gave McCovey insight into his destination. In 1974 and 1975, McCovey appeared in 128 games and 122 games in 1975. In 1974 and 1975, he had 22 home runs and 23 in 1975.

McCovey failed in 1976, and Mike Ivie lost his first base position to Mike Ivie. In 71 games, he batted.203 with seven home runs. The Oakland Athletics purchased his deal from the Padres at the end of the season. He played in elf games.

McCovey completed his service with the Giants in 1977 without a guaranteed deal, but he retained a spot on the team. McCovey retired in 1977 as the active home run leader with 755 and 586 home runs respectively, with Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson retiring at the end of the 1976 season with 755 and 586 home runs respectively. He was the first player to reach two home runs in a row twice in his career (the first was on April 12, 1973), and Edwin Encarnacion. One was a grand slam, and he became the first National Leaguer to reach seventeen. He had 28 home runs and 86 RBIs at age 39 and was named Comeback Player of the Year by the year's Best Player of the Year.

McCovey played at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta on June 30, 1978, and McCovey's 500th home run followed him two years later, at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, off Scott Sanderson of the Montreal Expos, on May 3, 1980. McCovey earned the distinction, as well as Ted Williams (with whom he was tied in home runs), Rickey Henderson, and Omar Vizquel of homering in four decades: the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. McCovey is one of only 29 players in baseball to have appeared in Major League baseball games in the last four decades.

McCovey batted.270, with 521 home runs and 1,555 RBIs, 1,229 runs scored, 2,211 runs, 46 triples, 1,345 bases on balls, a.315 on-base percentage, and a.515 slugging percentage in his 22-year career. He has also earned 18 grand slam home runs in his career, a National League record, and he was a six-time All-Star.

McCovey served as a senior advisor for the Giants for 18 years. During spring training and the season, he visited the team providing guidance and other services.

McCovey's Restaurant, a baseball-themed sports bar and restaurant located in Walnut Creek, California, was opened by McCovey and a business partner in September 2003. In February 2015, the restaurant was closed.

McCovey was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 in his first year of eligibility, making him the 16th player to be honoured. He appeared on 346 of 425 ballots cast (81.4 percent).

McCovey's line drive batting style is best known for his ferocity. Jim Bouton wrote about watching the ball slugger blow the ball in batting practice, while making "less whimpering animal sounds" in reaction to any of McCovey's raw power drives. Sparky Anderson had a healthy appreciation for McCovey's service, saying, "I walked Willie McCovey so many times, he should have walked to the moon on all those walks." Jack Buck, the Announcer, thought a McCovey line-drive home run to centerfield was the hardest ball he had ever seen. In 1969, McCovey's bat was so lethal in his prime that he walked an all-time record 45 times, tying the previous record by a dozen. This was the highest level in the major leagues for 33 years before being broken by fellow Giant Barry Bonds. McCovey had intentionally walked 40 times in the previous year. "Where do you want to pitch him, upper deck or lower deck?" Mets inimitable boss Casey Stengel joked once when speaking with the pitcher before a McCovey at-bat.

McCovey was ranked 56th on the Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 1999, and he was selected as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Bill James, the sport's most respected sabermetric analyst, ranked him 69th and the 9th-best first baseman two years ago. Since 1980, the Giants have been named with the Willie Mac Award to honor his spirit and leadership.

McCovey Cove, the inlet of San Francisco Bay beyond Oracle Park's right field fence, has been re-named in honor. Over McCovey Cove and the park's property, a statue of McCovey was erected, as well as McCovey Point, which stands on the property's land. The Giants wore his uniform number 44 on September 21, 1980, which he wore in honor of Hank Aaron, a fellow Mobile, Alabama native.

On February 7, 2009, McCovey was inducted into the Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (formerly the Afro Sports Hall of Fame) in Oakland, California. Willie McCovey's Woodside Elementary School in Woodside, California, was renamed to him in 2013.

Source