Willie Stargell
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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
- Hit first home run in the history of Shea Stadium, off of Dick Ellsworth in the second innning on April 17, 1964. It was also the first hit in Shea Stadium.
- Died April 9, 2001 the same day of the debut of the Pirates new field PNC Park.
[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
