Dave Parker, legendary 1970s slugger set to enter Baseball Hall of Fame next month, dies at 74
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 Oakland Athletics.
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.
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Parker was elected to the Hall of Fame by a special committee in December. The induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y., is set for July 27.
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'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, Miss., Parker grew up in Cincinnati and was a three-sport star at Courter Tech High School.
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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.'
Parker 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.
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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