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]. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Pirates struggled early in Stargells career, but the team turned the corner in the 1970s, winning the National League (NL) Eastern Division title six times in the decade. "When you had Willie Stargell on your team, it was like having a diamond ring on your finger," Tanner said. On a minor-league assignment for a team in New Mexico, Mr. Stargell recalled that he had to sleep in a rank-smelling bait shop and miss meals that his white teammates could enjoy because of the racial climate of the time. Stargelleft Taft and went to Walnut Hills as head football and track coach. His wife is Margaret Weller (16 January1993 - 9 April2001)( his death), Dolores Parker (19 November1966 - 1983)( divorced)( 2 children), Lois Beard (14 May1962 - 1965)( divorced)( 1 child). 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. Alternate titles: Pops Stargell, Wilver Dornel Stargell. Stargell enjoyed his best season in 1971, with 48 homers and 125 RBIs. "He said it's important that we be better. "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. 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). The first player to ever hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium is Pittsburgh Pirates legend Willie Stargell. On April he was admitted at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C. 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? Trying to win back their disillusioned fans during that 104-loss season, the Pirates had rehired Stargell as a coach but he left again a year later to rejoin Tanner, who was hired by the Atlanta Braves after being fired in Pittsburgh. Stargell promptly did, the chicken was distributed - and Stargell sent Prince the bill. Upon the Expos departure in 2004, the seat was removed and sent to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. To get those stars from your leade and captain, that was special.". [26], List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders, List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle, List of Major League Baseball home run records, List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders, List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders, List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise, "Willie Stargell at the Baseball Hall of Fame", "Biography: Stargell, Wilver Dornell (Willie, Pops)", "Obituary: Willie Stargell: Numbers couldn't measure the man", April 17, 1964 Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Mets Play by Play and Box Score, "September 30, 1978 Philadelphia Phillies at Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score and Play by Play", "Montreal Expos at Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score, October 3, 1982 | Baseball-Reference.com", "June 25, 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score and Play by Play", "Stargell's star a lasting tribute; Blast is marking point for all hitters", "Stargell was Pirates' inspirational leader in '70s", "In a time of upheaval, a constant remains Chipper Jones", "Willie Stargell Gave Out Amphetamines, Dale Berra Testifies", "Stargell hospitalized, undergoing treatment", "100 Greatest Baseball Players by the Sporting News: A Legendary List by Baseball Almanac", "Willie Stargell: Numbers couldn't measure the man", "Sickle Cell Society Inc/Murray Irvis Genetic Disease Center: A History of Care", "The Williie Stargell Foundation Website", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Willie_Stargell&oldid=1132452504, September 16,1962,for thePittsburgh Pirates, October 3,1982,for thePittsburgh Pirates, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 23:36. Upcoming Birthday Currently, Willie Stargell is 82 years, 11 months and 17 days old. The end of November. Willie Stargell is a MLB baseball player. He never made anybody look bad and he never said anything bad about anybody. He was the first minor-league hitting coach for Chipper Jones. We have estimated Baseball star Willie Stargell, who has died aged 61, was the first player to hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium, and did it twice. Willie Stargell Life is one big transition. Margaret Weller (16 January1993 - 9 April2001)( his death), Dolores Parker (19 November1966 - 1983)( divorced)( 2 children), Lois Beard (14 May1962 - 1965)( divorced)( 1 child). Lodging for black players was located in the poor black areas of those towns. 2was built in 2004 - four years after his death at the age of 67. Known as "Pops" to fans and to the teammates who benefited from his fatherly presence, Mr. Stargell died two days after a 12-foot bronze statue of him in a batting stance was unveiled at PNC Park, where the Pirates played for the first time yesterday and where a moment of silence was invoked. Count that, too, as part of the legacy of Willard Stargel. His marriage to Dolores Stargell ended in divorce. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Three Rivers Stadium, a neutral hitter's park, boosted Stargell's power numbers. 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. Stargel should have been the head coach, but at the time there were no black head coaches in the PHSL, Allen wrote in a book, 100 OrSo Boyhood Memories of the Real West Endies., Even though we loved Joe Corcoran (the white head coach), our confidant was Mr. Stargel He knew, better than we, what was what., He was sort of like a father to many of us, Bobby Chapman, who played at Taft in the late 50s, said in an Enquirer article in 1990. "He didn't just hit pitchers, he took away their dignity," former Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton said. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 6 March. Willie Stargell was born on March 6, 1965, in Earlsboro, Oklahoma to Gladys Vernell Stargell and William Stargell. JSA. While in Plainview, Texas, he was accosted at gunpoint by a man who threatened his life if he played in that night's game. Taft fans arrive early for the homecoming game on Oct. 4. Later, the duo mysteriously got divorced and the reason is still behind the curtains. At 61 years old, Willie Stargell height A segment of Stargell's bowel was removed more than two years before he died. Willie Stargell. 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. On June 25, 1971, Stargell hit the longest home run in Veterans Stadium history during a 144 Pirates win over the Philadelphia Phillies. His spouse is Margaret Weller (m. 1993-2001), Dee Stargell. Monica Williams is counting on that, too. 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. Standing 6ft 3in (1.91m) with long arms and a unique bat-handling practice of holding only the knob of the bat with his lower hand to provide extra bat extension, Stargell seemed larger than most batters. Willie Stargell was a professional baseball player originally from the United States of America. The status quo is a lot easier, a lot less scary for many people. RELATED ACTIVITIES 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. "It hurt Pops, I think, a little when UC decided to go the bowl game and leave him home when (Virginia Tech) said they wouldn't play against UC because dad was on the team, but they took a vote and that was the leadership that was at the University of Cincinnati at that time," Jason said. I did very well because of him.. Stargell's last game was on October 3, 1982 at Three Rivers Stadium against the Montreal Expos. Stargell led the Pirates to World Series championships in 1971 and 1979, sharing the National League Most Valuable Player Award with Keith Hernandez of the Cardinals in '79 at the age of 39. 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. What was Willie Stargell's batting average? Stargel went on to UC and lettered in football, basketball and track and became one of UCs first black football players in 1942. With a voice as big as his 6-foot-4-inch frame, Mr. Stargell intimidated pitchers as he set up at the plate with the distinctive pinwheel twirl of his bat that kept time with the pitchers' motion. Apart from that, he holds American nationality and was of white ethnicity. PITTSBURGH -- Willie Stargell, the thunderous home run hitter who carried the Pittsburgh Pirates into two World Series with his power and helped win them with his patriarchal leadership, died Monday. It's the end of an era. Willie was suffering from a kidney ailment and heart disease caused by high blood pressure for a long time. Scully said that because he used the name Wilver, he became Stargell's mother's favorite broadcaster.[4]. Biographer Frank Garland relates that Stargell's family and friends called him Wilver and that Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully also made a point of using Stargell's given name. . Only four other home runs have been hit out of Dodger Stadium. By this time next year, a new, thirdStargel Stadium is expected tobe built across the street from Taft, but the memories made on this field wont be forgotten even by players, coaches and parents who never knew him. 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