PITTSBURGH — Dave Parker, a hard-hitting outfielder who was set to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame next month, has died, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced Saturday. He was 74.
No further details about Parker’s death were immediately available. The Pirates informed the crowd of his death just before the start of their game against the New York Mets and held a moment of silence.
Nicknamed “The Cobra,” the 6-foot-5 Parker made his major-league debut in 1973 and played 19 seasons, 11 for the Pirates. He was the National League MVP in 1978, won a World Series with the Pirates a year later and won another championship in 1989 with the Oakland Athletics.
Parker won NL batting titles in 1977 and ’78. He finished his career as a .290 hitter with 339 homers and 1,493 RBIs. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays.
Parker was elected to the Hall of Fame by a special committee in December. The induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y., is set for July 27.
Born on June 9, 1951, in Grenada, Miss., Parker grew up in Cincinnati and was a three-sport star at Courter Tech High School.
After playing for the Pirates from 1973-83, he signed with his hometown Reds and spent four seasons with the team. In 1985 he led the NL with 125 RBIs and was second in MVP voting.
Parker was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2012.
He told reporters that he burst into tears upon learning of his selection to the Hall of Fame.
“Yeah, I cried,” Parker said after receiving the news. “It only took a few minutes because I don’t cry.”
Parker homered for the A’s in the 1989 World Series opener and took credit for helping the Bash Brothers, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, take the title with a four-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants.
He was a seven-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove right fielder.
“I was a five-tool player. I could do them all,” Parker said after his Hall selection. “I never trotted to first base. I don’t know if people noticed that, but I ran hard on every play.”