Hall of Famer Dave Parker has died at the age of 74. The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Parker’s death before their game on Saturday.
Parker played for six teams during his 19 major-league seasons, 11 of those seasons with the Pirates. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays.
Advertisement
During his MLB career from 1979-91, Parker batted .290/.339/.471 with 2,712 hits, 339 home runs, 526 doubles, 1,493 RBI and 154 stolen bases. He won World Series championships with the 1979 Pirates and 1989 Athletics, was a seven-time All-Star and earned consecutive National League batting titles in 1978 and 1979.
In 1979, Parker won the NL MVP award with a .334 average and .970 OPS with 30 homers, 34 doubles, 117 RBI and 20 steals.
Parker was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in December by the Classic Era Committee, earning votes on 14 of 16 ballots. He will be officially inducted into Cooperstown on July 27.
Nicknamed “The Cobra” because of his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame, Parker was the Pirates’ 14th-round draft pick in 1970 out of Courter Tech High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. A knee injury during his senior year prevented him from following through on football ambitions — and likely resulted his lower-round selection — but that was baseball’s fortunate gain.
Advertisement
Following nearly four seasons in the minor leagues (hitting a combined .315 with an .854 OPS and 48 homers), Parker was called up and split time in right field with Richie Zisk for legendary Pirates star Roberto Clemente, who died tragically on December 31, 1972. However, he claimed the position for himself by 1975 with a breakout season batting .308 with an .898 OPS, 25 homers, 35 doubles and 101 RBI.
Parker also showed off an outstanding throwing arm in right field. From 1975-79, he led MLB with 72 outfield assists. Parker notched 26 assists in 1977 and finished his career with 143. (During the final four seasons of his career, Parker was largely a designated hitter in the American League due to deteriorating knees.)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Giants Mailbagg: What happened to San Francisco’s offense?
Welcome to the first regular-season installment of the Giants Mailbagg.Who could have imagined that June would be so newsy and noteworthy after such a stable and unremarkable start to the season? Gosh, it’s almost like April and May didn’t even happen. Judging from the questions, many of you are as confused as I am about the direction of this team. There are plenty of reasons to believe that we haven’t seen the best of the Giants this season. There are plenty of reasons to believe that we haven’t seen the worst of them, either.AdvertisementSeems like we can agree on one thing: this team needs to score more runs.Thanks as always for submitting your questions. (Answers slightly edited for length and clarity.)Let’s dive in:The current Giants offensive struggles seem to be a continuation of a lack of hitting and run production […]
Deshaun Watson wastes his $230 million outside the field and Browns fans do not seem too concerned about it
Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson is in the news againa and not for his game plays, but for his big spends off the field. As he gets better from a second Achilles injury and stares at a shaky NFL future, Watson is said to be using a good bit out of his $230 million deal on a big wedding to his long-time love, influencer Jilly Anais.Reports say Watson has spent $2.5 million on a ring, described by his jeweler as featuring a flawless D-grade center diamond with exceptional clarity and cut. The pair has also shown off their fancy engagement pics, with one featuring a yellow Ferrari, and had big pre-wedding bashes that have won both praise and shade.Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson continues partying with bachelor party for himself in MiamiA quarterback in trouble Watson's big spending comes at […]
Maresca, the ‘joke’ Club World Cup weather delays and an ominous warning for World Cup 2026
It had been a long day. Much, much longer than Enzo Maresca had wanted. Play was suspended for nearly two hours waiting for the weather to pass over Charlotte, but the storm whipped up by the Chelsea coach’s post-match comments threatens to rumble on much longer.“It’s a joke,” he said after Chelsea’s Club World Cup knockout clash with Benfica was held up for 113 minutes, the sixth storm-enforced delay of the tournament and the third hour-plus interruption. And he kept using those words — “a joke” — while making clear he did not see the funny side, despite seeing his team run out 4-1 winners after extra time in a match that kicked off at 4pm local time and did not conclude until 8.38pm.Advertisement“For me, it’s not football,” he said in his post-match news conference. “It’s already seven, eight, nine […]
Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend causes a ‘problem’ for Tom Brady after ‘turning’ into Gisele Bundchen at an inappropriate moment
Vittoria Ceretti, Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend may have caused a problem for the actor at the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. But also for Tom Brady.Together since 2023, the model and the Titanic star attended the wedding of the Amazon owner and the journalist at the Gritti Palace. However, what caught the attention was the attire of the 27-year-old.Tom Brady and the Raiders are left breathless after rookie star makes a dangerous stuntOn Thursday, Vittoria wore a vintage Dolce & Gabbana dress, attended the ceremony in an elegant low-cut black dress, and for the wedding she wore an ornate dress in taupe and metallic tones, also by D&G. And it was the latter that got all the attention because of one detail.This dress was the same one worn by Gisele Bundchen at the Met Gala in 2003. Although with […]
Patrick Mahomes could inadvertently help Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel have a breakout season with the Browns
Making it to the NFL with the support of veteran players who guide rookies in understanding the league and maximizing their potential-especially by learning from those who already know what professional football entails, which is vastly different from college football-is a tremendous advantage. Talent develops more efficiently, pressure eases, and performance improves gradually.When seasoned quarterbacks mentor incoming rookies from day one, offering valuable advice, the payoff for the team is significant. It saves time and reduces the steep learning curve that often accompanies the transition to the pro level.Shilo Sanders reveals what job he's gonna pursue after his football career is overWhile there have been notable cases where experienced quarterbacks have refused to help the next generation-such as Brett Favre's cold relationship with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, or Joe Flacco's reluctance to guide young QBs-there are also successful examples […]
Caitlin Clark’s drama-filled season rolls on, plus Ohtani hits 100
The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.Good morning! Maximize your own generational talent today.Fever Pitch? Temperature rising around Clark, IndianaThe Indiana Fever are the most talked-about team in the WNBA, for obvious (read: Caitlin Clark) reasons. But they’re also supposed to be a rising team in the W, and they’ve had a bizarre first month and change of the season. Think about all that’s happened: Clark got hurt early and missed five games with a quad strain. When she’s played, she’s been good, but not quite like she was when she tore up the league down the stretch last year. Now she’s hurt again, with a groin issue keeping her out of games on Thursday and Friday. Every Clark injury is a problem for […]
Related
Giants Mailbagg: What happened to San Francisco’s offense?
Welcome to the first regular-season installment of the Giants Mailbagg.Who could have imagined that June would be so newsy and noteworthy after such a stable and unremarkable start to the season? Gosh, it’s almost like April and May didn’t even happen. Judging from the questions, many of you are as confused as I am about the direction of this team. There are plenty of reasons to believe that we haven’t seen the best of the Giants this season. There are plenty of reasons to believe that we haven’t seen the worst of them, either.AdvertisementSeems like we can agree on one thing: this team needs to score more runs.Thanks as always for submitting your questions. (Answers slightly edited for length and clarity.)Let’s dive in:The current Giants offensive struggles seem to be a continuation of a lack of hitting and run production […]
Deshaun Watson wastes his $230 million outside the field and Browns fans do not seem too concerned about it
Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson is in the news againa and not for his game plays, but for his big spends off the field. As he gets better from a second Achilles injury and stares at a shaky NFL future, Watson is said to be using a good bit out of his $230 million deal on a big wedding to his long-time love, influencer Jilly Anais.Reports say Watson has spent $2.5 million on a ring, described by his jeweler as featuring a flawless D-grade center diamond with exceptional clarity and cut. The pair has also shown off their fancy engagement pics, with one featuring a yellow Ferrari, and had big pre-wedding bashes that have won both praise and shade.Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson continues partying with bachelor party for himself in MiamiA quarterback in trouble Watson's big spending comes at […]
Maresca, the ‘joke’ Club World Cup weather delays and an ominous warning for World Cup 2026
It had been a long day. Much, much longer than Enzo Maresca had wanted. Play was suspended for nearly two hours waiting for the weather to pass over Charlotte, but the storm whipped up by the Chelsea coach’s post-match comments threatens to rumble on much longer.“It’s a joke,” he said after Chelsea’s Club World Cup knockout clash with Benfica was held up for 113 minutes, the sixth storm-enforced delay of the tournament and the third hour-plus interruption. And he kept using those words — “a joke” — while making clear he did not see the funny side, despite seeing his team run out 4-1 winners after extra time in a match that kicked off at 4pm local time and did not conclude until 8.38pm.Advertisement“For me, it’s not football,” he said in his post-match news conference. “It’s already seven, eight, nine […]
Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend causes a ‘problem’ for Tom Brady after ‘turning’ into Gisele Bundchen at an inappropriate moment
Vittoria Ceretti, Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend may have caused a problem for the actor at the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. But also for Tom Brady.Together since 2023, the model and the Titanic star attended the wedding of the Amazon owner and the journalist at the Gritti Palace. However, what caught the attention was the attire of the 27-year-old.Tom Brady and the Raiders are left breathless after rookie star makes a dangerous stuntOn Thursday, Vittoria wore a vintage Dolce & Gabbana dress, attended the ceremony in an elegant low-cut black dress, and for the wedding she wore an ornate dress in taupe and metallic tones, also by D&G. And it was the latter that got all the attention because of one detail.This dress was the same one worn by Gisele Bundchen at the Met Gala in 2003. Although with […]
Patrick Mahomes could inadvertently help Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel have a breakout season with the Browns
Making it to the NFL with the support of veteran players who guide rookies in understanding the league and maximizing their potential-especially by learning from those who already know what professional football entails, which is vastly different from college football-is a tremendous advantage. Talent develops more efficiently, pressure eases, and performance improves gradually.When seasoned quarterbacks mentor incoming rookies from day one, offering valuable advice, the payoff for the team is significant. It saves time and reduces the steep learning curve that often accompanies the transition to the pro level.Shilo Sanders reveals what job he's gonna pursue after his football career is overWhile there have been notable cases where experienced quarterbacks have refused to help the next generation-such as Brett Favre's cold relationship with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, or Joe Flacco's reluctance to guide young QBs-there are also successful examples […]
Caitlin Clark’s drama-filled season rolls on, plus Ohtani hits 100
The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.Good morning! Maximize your own generational talent today.Fever Pitch? Temperature rising around Clark, IndianaThe Indiana Fever are the most talked-about team in the WNBA, for obvious (read: Caitlin Clark) reasons. But they’re also supposed to be a rising team in the W, and they’ve had a bizarre first month and change of the season. Think about all that’s happened: Clark got hurt early and missed five games with a quad strain. When she’s played, she’s been good, but not quite like she was when she tore up the league down the stretch last year. Now she’s hurt again, with a groin issue keeping her out of games on Thursday and Friday. Every Clark injury is a problem for […]
Be the first to leave a comment