The baseball world mourned the death of Dave Parker, Hall of Famer and former National League MVP, on Saturday. The 19-year major leaguer had battled Parkinson’s disease for nearly 15 years.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, the teams with whom Parker played the majority of his MLB career, expressed their condolences. As did the Athletics, Angels, Brewers and Blue Jays, in addition to Major League Baseball.
Plenty of Parker’s former teammates, fellow Hall of Famers and current Pirates players voiced their sympathies as well.
Advertisement
Fellow Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven and Parker were teammates on the Pirates from 1977-80, which included winning the World Series in 1979.
“What a sad [day] as my former teammate and friend, HOF’er Dave Parker, passed away,” Blyleven posted on social media. “He fought Parkinson’s for years. Our condolences to his wife Kellye, his family and everyone that had the great opportunity to be with him. RIP Cobra.”
“Man, I am crushed,” former teammate Dave Stewart told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “He’s one of the greatest teammates I’ve ever had. He had such a presence when he walked into the room.
Parker and Stewart played together on the Oakland Athletics in 1988 and 1989, getting to the World Series in both seasons and winning a championship on their second try.
Keith Hernandez didn’t play on any teams with Parker, but was certainly a peer as both were top major leaguers in the late 1970s through the 1980s.
“The best player of the late ’80s and early ’80s,” Hernandez told the New York Post’s Mike Puma. “Great, boisterous peer.”
“He used to say, ‘When the leaves turn brown, I will be wearing the [batting title] crown,'” he added. “Until I usurped his crown in ’79. He was a better player than me. RIP.”
Hernandez did indeed win the National League batting title in 1979 with a .344 average after Parker won it for the previous two consecutive seasons, batting .338 in 1977 and .334 in 1978.
Advertisement
Fellow Hall of Famer Frank Thomas remembered fielding a ground ball from Parker at first base early in his major league career.
“RIP, Dave Parker, the Cobra!” Thomas posted on social media. “One of the greatest to ever do it. Love watching you as a kid. I will always remember that first line drive ground ball you hit me in the show right off my chest.”
“You said, welcome to the show, kid,” he continued. “That big smile and the finger point trot. #Legendary.”
Eric Davis, Parker’s teammate with the Reds, issued a statement because he was too distraught to talk, according to Nightengale. The thought that Parker wouldn’t be alive for his Hall of Fame induction was too upsetting.
“He probably had more impact on young players than any player I’ve ever been around,” Davis said.
Current Reds manager Terry Francona played with Parker on the 1987 Reds and 1990 Brewers, remembered getting to play with a star he long admired.
“He was a big, lovable… I caught him toward the end of his career,” Francona recalled. “He was funny, you could mess with him.
“Not too much,” he added with a laugh.
Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen shared his thoughts on Parker with MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf, acknowledging what he meant to Pittsburgh fans.
“It’s a tough thing to hear, but he had been battling Parkinson’s for quite some time,” McCutchen said. “It was rough to see him go through that. I just hope now he’s in a a better place and not having to worry about any of that stuff anymore.”
“Just thinking about his family and the fanbase who may have had any type of interaction with him, childhoods,” he added. “He was probably Superman to a lot of people when he played.”
Advertisement
McCutchen’s teammate, Nick Gonzales, currently wears the No. 39 jersey that Parker wore during his 11 seasons with the Pirates (and throughout his career) and thinks it should be retired.
“It just meant a little bit more today, playing with that number,” Gonzales said on Saturday. “I think it should be retired and I should get a new number, honestly.”
“That might happen at some point,” he continued. “For what he did for this community… it’s an honor just to wear it on my back.”
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.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Zoff droht zu eskalieren – Barça will ter Stegen degradieren!
Wird es jetzt schmutzig in Barcelona?Der LaLiga-Klub hat Deutschlands Nummer eins Marc-André ter Stegen einen neuen Torhüter-Konkurrenten vor die Nase gesetzt. Mehr noch: Barça holt Joan García (24) vom Stadt-Rivalen Espanyol Barcelona wohl mit dem Plan, ihn in der kommenden Saison zum Stamm-Keeper zu machen. Zudem wurde der Vertrag mit Wojciech Szczesny (35) verlängert. Der Pole, der in der nach der schweren Verletzung von ter Stegen in der abgelaufenen Saison geholt worden war, soll der Ersatz-Torhüter bleiben. Das Problem: Barça hat eigentlich gar keinen Platz mehr für ter Stegen, will ihn im Sommer verkaufen.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Barça will ter Stegen degradierenDer DFB-Star beschäftigt sich nach SPORT BILD-Informationen aktuell nicht mit einem Abgang aus Barcelona. Dort hat er noch einen Vertrag bis 2028. Das Problem: Ter Stegen zählt zu den Top-Verdienern bei Barça. Sein Gehalt würden die Katalanen gerne einsparen, um den […]
Torcedores criticam declarações de Filipe Luís antes de Flamengo x Bayern no Mundial: “Desvalorizou o próprio clube”
Filipe Luís é técnico do Flamengo - Gilvan de Souza/CRFNa véspera de Flamengo x Bayern de Munique, nas oitavas de final da Copa do Mundo de Clubes, o técnico Filipe Luís deixou torcedores incomodados com novas declarações enaltecendo as equipes do futebol europeu. Na avaliação destes, o ex-lateral tem exagerado na maneira insistente que tem tratado os adversários de fora e que assim desvaloriza o próprio produto. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE“Eu continuo achando que os times da elite da Europa são os melhores e estão nas melhores competições. Por que o Vini Jr. não está aqui? O Flamengo tinha o melhor do mundo e ele não está aqui, ele foi para o Real Madrid para jogar melhores competições. O nosso futebol brasileiro está melhorando, sim, mas muito longe de se comparar com o futebol europeu”, relatou o comandante rubro-negro.No X (antigo Twitter), […]
With Kings’ future on defense uncertain, which players could Los Angeles target?
LOS ANGELES – The way Ken Holland laid out how he’d have to address the defense corps, just weeks into his new job running the Los Angeles Kings, sure feels preemptive now.Holland embraced the uncertainty around Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence’s futures with the club. It’s almost as if he drew some initial sketches toward a plan, in case he didn’t have one or both going forward. A sampling of what Holland said Wednesday before the NHL Draft:“Defense is at the top of the to-do list.”“I’d like to re-sign Gavrikov. If I don’t, then I’ve got to go out and get a defenseman or two. Couple of vets, couple of pros.”“The defense has got most of my focus.”AdvertisementGet the picture?The mission was made clearer Saturday when Holland traded Spence to the Ottawa Senators for what amounted to three draft picks, […]
Chelsea tem desfalque de Caicedo por suspensão e muda time titular contra o Palmeiras pelo Mundial de Clubes
Titular do Chelsea, o meio-campista Caicedo não enfrenta o Palmeiras, no Mundial de Clubes (foto: reprodução/Chelsea)Após eliminar o Benfica, numa partida que ficou paralisada por quase duas horas devido a condições climáticas, o Chelsea enfrenta o Palmeiras na fase quartas de final do Mundial de Clubes da Fifa. O time inglês terá pelo menos uma mudança no time titular. Isso porque o meio-campista Moisés Caicedo está suspenso. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEO jogador equatoriano acumulou duas advertências por cartão amarelo. Andrey Santos é uma das opções para o técnico Enzo Maresca. No entanto, o brasileiro disputa a vaga com Chalobah. O inglês substituiu Lavia, nos minutos finais do segundo tempo contra o Benfica.Chelsea tem penduradosDe acordo com um levantamento do site Olympics, o Chelsea tem cinco jogadores sob risco de suspensão. A lista é formada por: Cucurella, Adarabioyo, Reece James, Pedro Neto e […]
Bayern-Patron rechnet ab – Hoenßes sauer auf Matthäus: „Nicht alle Tassen im Schrank“
Die Reaktion hat nicht lange auf sich warten lassen – und hat es in sich!Am Freitag hatte Rekordnationalspieler Lothar Matthäus (64) in BILD seine Meinung zum Transfer-Poker um Nick Woltemade (23) zwischen Stuttgart und Bayern geäußert.<!-->]-->„Ich finde es richtig, dass Bayern sich um ihn bemüht. Wobei ich 60 Millionen Ablöse zu wenig finde. Wären 80 bis 100 Millionen genannt worden, hätte mich das nicht überrascht“, erklärte Matthäus.TV-Experte Lothar Matthäus (64) beim Spiel um Platz 3 der Nations League zwischen Deutschland und Frankreich (0:2)Foto: picture alliance / Eibner-Pressefoto<!-->]-->Nur zwei Tage später reagiert Bayern-Ehrenpräsident Uli Hoeneß (73) darauf und beleidigt Matthäus. Denn am Sonntag pöbelt Hoeneß im „Kicker“: „Lothar Matthäus hat nicht alle Tassen im Schrank.“Jetzt wird’s schmutzig! Stuttgart-Stürmer Nick Woltemade (23) will zum FC Bayern wechseln. Doch die Klubs müssen sich noch auf eine Ablöse einigen.Foto: picture alliance / Laci Perenyi<!-->]-->Was […]
Estonec Tänak vyhrál Rallye Akropolis, Prokop skončil jedenáctý
Online magazín deníku Právo & Seznam.czCopyright © 1996–2025, Seznam.cz, a.s., Borgis, a.s., ČTK, DPA, Reuters, fotobanka Profimedia.Publikování nebo další šíření obsahu serveru Sport.cz je bez písemného souhlasu společnosti Borgis, a.s. zakázáno. RSS kanály serveru Sport.cz jsou určeny pouze pro osobní užití. Jakékoli kopírování, šíření nebo využívání obsahu RSS kanálů serveru Sport.cz bez předchozího písemného souhlasu společnosti Borgis a.s. není dovoleno. Dodavatelem obsahu serveru Sport.cz a osobou vykonávající redakční odpovědnost je společnost BORGIS a.s. Šiřitelem reklamy na serveru Sport.cz je společnost Seznam.cz, a.s., IČO 26168685.
Related
Zoff droht zu eskalieren – Barça will ter Stegen degradieren!
Wird es jetzt schmutzig in Barcelona?Der LaLiga-Klub hat Deutschlands Nummer eins Marc-André ter Stegen einen neuen Torhüter-Konkurrenten vor die Nase gesetzt. Mehr noch: Barça holt Joan García (24) vom Stadt-Rivalen Espanyol Barcelona wohl mit dem Plan, ihn in der kommenden Saison zum Stamm-Keeper zu machen. Zudem wurde der Vertrag mit Wojciech Szczesny (35) verlängert. Der Pole, der in der nach der schweren Verletzung von ter Stegen in der abgelaufenen Saison geholt worden war, soll der Ersatz-Torhüter bleiben. Das Problem: Barça hat eigentlich gar keinen Platz mehr für ter Stegen, will ihn im Sommer verkaufen.Lesen Sie auch<!-->[-->Barça will ter Stegen degradierenDer DFB-Star beschäftigt sich nach SPORT BILD-Informationen aktuell nicht mit einem Abgang aus Barcelona. Dort hat er noch einen Vertrag bis 2028. Das Problem: Ter Stegen zählt zu den Top-Verdienern bei Barça. Sein Gehalt würden die Katalanen gerne einsparen, um den […]
Torcedores criticam declarações de Filipe Luís antes de Flamengo x Bayern no Mundial: “Desvalorizou o próprio clube”
Filipe Luís é técnico do Flamengo - Gilvan de Souza/CRFNa véspera de Flamengo x Bayern de Munique, nas oitavas de final da Copa do Mundo de Clubes, o técnico Filipe Luís deixou torcedores incomodados com novas declarações enaltecendo as equipes do futebol europeu. Na avaliação destes, o ex-lateral tem exagerado na maneira insistente que tem tratado os adversários de fora e que assim desvaloriza o próprio produto. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE“Eu continuo achando que os times da elite da Europa são os melhores e estão nas melhores competições. Por que o Vini Jr. não está aqui? O Flamengo tinha o melhor do mundo e ele não está aqui, ele foi para o Real Madrid para jogar melhores competições. O nosso futebol brasileiro está melhorando, sim, mas muito longe de se comparar com o futebol europeu”, relatou o comandante rubro-negro.No X (antigo Twitter), […]
With Kings’ future on defense uncertain, which players could Los Angeles target?
LOS ANGELES – The way Ken Holland laid out how he’d have to address the defense corps, just weeks into his new job running the Los Angeles Kings, sure feels preemptive now.Holland embraced the uncertainty around Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence’s futures with the club. It’s almost as if he drew some initial sketches toward a plan, in case he didn’t have one or both going forward. A sampling of what Holland said Wednesday before the NHL Draft:“Defense is at the top of the to-do list.”“I’d like to re-sign Gavrikov. If I don’t, then I’ve got to go out and get a defenseman or two. Couple of vets, couple of pros.”“The defense has got most of my focus.”AdvertisementGet the picture?The mission was made clearer Saturday when Holland traded Spence to the Ottawa Senators for what amounted to three draft picks, […]
Chelsea tem desfalque de Caicedo por suspensão e muda time titular contra o Palmeiras pelo Mundial de Clubes
Titular do Chelsea, o meio-campista Caicedo não enfrenta o Palmeiras, no Mundial de Clubes (foto: reprodução/Chelsea)Após eliminar o Benfica, numa partida que ficou paralisada por quase duas horas devido a condições climáticas, o Chelsea enfrenta o Palmeiras na fase quartas de final do Mundial de Clubes da Fifa. O time inglês terá pelo menos uma mudança no time titular. Isso porque o meio-campista Moisés Caicedo está suspenso. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEO jogador equatoriano acumulou duas advertências por cartão amarelo. Andrey Santos é uma das opções para o técnico Enzo Maresca. No entanto, o brasileiro disputa a vaga com Chalobah. O inglês substituiu Lavia, nos minutos finais do segundo tempo contra o Benfica.Chelsea tem penduradosDe acordo com um levantamento do site Olympics, o Chelsea tem cinco jogadores sob risco de suspensão. A lista é formada por: Cucurella, Adarabioyo, Reece James, Pedro Neto e […]
Bayern-Patron rechnet ab – Hoenßes sauer auf Matthäus: „Nicht alle Tassen im Schrank“
Die Reaktion hat nicht lange auf sich warten lassen – und hat es in sich!Am Freitag hatte Rekordnationalspieler Lothar Matthäus (64) in BILD seine Meinung zum Transfer-Poker um Nick Woltemade (23) zwischen Stuttgart und Bayern geäußert.<!-->]-->„Ich finde es richtig, dass Bayern sich um ihn bemüht. Wobei ich 60 Millionen Ablöse zu wenig finde. Wären 80 bis 100 Millionen genannt worden, hätte mich das nicht überrascht“, erklärte Matthäus.TV-Experte Lothar Matthäus (64) beim Spiel um Platz 3 der Nations League zwischen Deutschland und Frankreich (0:2)Foto: picture alliance / Eibner-Pressefoto<!-->]-->Nur zwei Tage später reagiert Bayern-Ehrenpräsident Uli Hoeneß (73) darauf und beleidigt Matthäus. Denn am Sonntag pöbelt Hoeneß im „Kicker“: „Lothar Matthäus hat nicht alle Tassen im Schrank.“Jetzt wird’s schmutzig! Stuttgart-Stürmer Nick Woltemade (23) will zum FC Bayern wechseln. Doch die Klubs müssen sich noch auf eine Ablöse einigen.Foto: picture alliance / Laci Perenyi<!-->]-->Was […]
Estonec Tänak vyhrál Rallye Akropolis, Prokop skončil jedenáctý
Online magazín deníku Právo & Seznam.czCopyright © 1996–2025, Seznam.cz, a.s., Borgis, a.s., ČTK, DPA, Reuters, fotobanka Profimedia.Publikování nebo další šíření obsahu serveru Sport.cz je bez písemného souhlasu společnosti Borgis, a.s. zakázáno. RSS kanály serveru Sport.cz jsou určeny pouze pro osobní užití. Jakékoli kopírování, šíření nebo využívání obsahu RSS kanálů serveru Sport.cz bez předchozího písemného souhlasu společnosti Borgis a.s. není dovoleno. Dodavatelem obsahu serveru Sport.cz a osobou vykonávající redakční odpovědnost je společnost BORGIS a.s. Šiřitelem reklamy na serveru Sport.cz je společnost Seznam.cz, a.s., IČO 26168685.
Be the first to leave a comment