Willie Stargell
From BR Bullpen
Wilver Dornel Stargell (Pops or Old Pops)
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 2", Weight 225 lb.
- College Santa Rosa Junior College
- High School Encinal High School
- Debut September 16, 1962
- Final Game October 3, 1982
- Born March 6, 1940 in Earlsboro, OK USA
- Died April 9, 2001 in Wilmington, NC USA
Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1988
[edit] Biographical Information
"When they start the game, they don't yell 'Work ball.' They say 'Play ball.' " -Willie Stargell
Willie Stargell was not only a Hall of Fame slugger, but during his career was frequently called one of the nicest human beings in major league baseball.
Playing primarily in what some refer to as a second dead ball era the big outfielder-first baseman slugged 30 or more home runs in 6 different seasons (including 4 straight from 1970 to 1973) and drove in 100 runs or more 5 times.
In the batter's box, he used to quickly twirl his bat in a circle toward the pitcher while waiting for the pitcher to get ready. It had a very aggressive appearance and made it clear that the bat was little more than a toothpick to him.
When he hit 40 home runs and 40 doubles in 1973, it was quite notable as being rare for the times.
- Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 12, 1988 by the Baseball Writers Association of America.*
- Was the first player to ever hit a home run completely out of Dodger Stadium, a feat he accomplished twice.
- Hit the farthest home run in the history of Three Rivers Stadium.
- On August 23, 2006, when Frank Thomas tied Stargell with 475 home runs, Thomas also had the exact same number of RBI as Stargell had, 1540.
- First Baseball Card appearance 1963 Topps
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 7-time NL All-Star (1964-1966, 1971-1973 & 1978)
- NL MVP (1979)
- 1979 NLCS MVP
- 1979 World Series MVP
- 1978 NL Comeback Player of the Year Award
- NL Slugging Percentage Leader (1973)
- 2-time NL OPS Leader (1973 & 1974)
- NL Doubles Leader (1973)
- 2-time NL Home Runs Leader (1971 & 1973)
- NL RBI Leader (1973)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 15 (1964-1976, 1978 & 1979)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 6 (1966, 1970-1973 & 1979)
- 40-Home Run Seasons: 2 (1971 & 1973)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 5 (1965, 1966 & 1971-1973)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1971 & 1973)
- Won two World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1971 & 1979)
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1988
| NL MVP | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 1979 | 1980 |
| Dave Parker | Willie Stargell & Keith Hernandez | Mike Schmidt |
[edit] Related Sites
Categories: Player | Hall of Fame | MVP
