Willie Stargell Stats & Facts
Willie Stargell
Positions: Leftfielder and First Baseman
Bats: Left • Throws: Left
6-2, 188lb (188cm, 85kg)
Born: March 6, 1940 in Earlsboro, OK
Died: April 9, 2001 in Wilmington, NC
Buried: Oleander Memorial Gardens, Wilmington, NC
High School: Encinal HS (Alameda, CA)
Debut: September 16, 1962 (12,054th in major league history)
vs. SFG 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: October 3, 1982
vs. MON 1 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1988. (Voted by BBWAA on 352/427 ballots)
View Willie Stargell’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).
Full Name: Wilver Dornel Stargell
Nicknames: Pops
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Nine Players Who Debuted in 1962
Willie Stargell
Bob Bailey
Ed Kranepool
Cookie Rojas
Tony Oliva
Gaylord Perry
Bob Veale
Dick Radatz
Tommy Harper
The Willie Stargell Teammate Team
C: Manny Sanguillen
1B: Donn Clendenon
2B: Bill Mazeroski
3B: Bill Madlock
SS: Dick Groat
LF: Dave Parker
CF: Al Oliver
RF: Roberto Clemente
SP: Bob Friend
SP: Bob Veale
SP: Bert Blyleven
SP: Steve Blass
SP: John Candelaria
RP: Kent Tekulve
M: Danny Murtaugh
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Notable Events and Chronology
A member of the Pirates his entire career, slugger Willie Stargell played on each of Pittsburgh’s last two World Championships teams. He was a clutch long ball hitter, who won the National League MVP, NLCS MVP, and World Series MVP in 1979. “Pops” holds the Pittsburgh career home run record and was one of the most popular players of his era.
Biography
Wilver Dornel Stargell was a remarkable player and man. Standing 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, he was an imposing figure at the plate – in his black and gold uniform, pumping his arms and the bat in a windmill fashion
He did everything in a large way – blasting tape-measure home runs or striking out. A native of Earlsboro, Oklahoma, Stargell joined the Bucs late in 1962 after a four-year minor league career. he hit his first major league homer in 1963, on May 8th off Lindy McDaniel. He would go on to hit homers in 20 different ballparks off 243 different pitchers. His most frequent victims were Tom Seaver and Phil Niekro.
Stargell was never considered a fast man, but early in his career he ran well enough to hit as many as eight triples in a season and he also managed three inside-the-park home runs!
His early days were spent in left field, playing next to Matty Alou and Roberto Clemente. The Pirates slowly built a contender, and by 1971 they were poised to challenge the league’s best teams. That year Stargell bolted from the gates, hitting 11 homers in April – equaling a ML record – and helping the Pirates to a fast start. By the end of July Willie had 36 homers. He finished with 48 and a .628 slugging percentage.
In the post-season, Stargell got off to a horrific start – going 0-for-14 with six strikeouts in the LCS win over the Giants. In the World Series he fared better, getting on base 12 times via a hit or a walk. Clemente drug the team to the title and Willie had his first ring.
The next year brought more triumph but less joy. The Bucs advanced to the playoffs before losing a heartbreaker to the Reds. In December, Clemente was killed in a rescue mission over Nicaragua. The team and the city of Pittsburgh were stunned. Stargell emerged from the tragedy as the team leader.
In 1975, he was switched to first base, a move prompted by nagging knee and leg injuries. From 1971 to 1975, he batted .297 with 172 home runs – the highest total in baseball. But in 1976 and 1977 his career seemed to be over. He drove in just 65 runs in ’76 and in ’77, played only 63 games as a result of a broken arm suffered while breaking up a fight between teammate Bruce Kison and the Phillies Mike Schmidt.
But in 1978, “Pops” proved the critics wrong, rebounding with a .295 average, 28 homers, and 97 RBI. He was named the Comeback Player of the Year. He entered the 1979 season 38 years old and coming off his best campaign in years.
The Pirates battled the Expos for the NL East flag in 1979. n the season’s final day Stargell’s home run against the Cubs won the division title. He continued his gallantry in the LCS – in Game One against the Reds he hit an 11th inning homer to produce a 5-2 win. The following day he singled in the winning run in the 10th. In the finale he hit a double, homer, and had three RBI as the Bucs won the NL pennant. Stargell had batted .455 with six RBI in the sweep.
The World Series of 1979 was Stargell’s grandest stage, providing the defining moments of his career. After Baltimore took three of the first four games, Stargell led his team back. He singled and had a sac fly in the Game Five victory, and after John Candelaria’s shutout performance in Game Six, the series was deadlocked.
In Game Seven, Stargell singled in his first at-bat. In his second trip he doubled, but the Bucs still could not score. In his third trip, with the Pirates trailing 1-0, Willie slugged a two-run homer that put Pittsburgh ahead to stay. Later in the game, Willie doubled again. He finished the seven game series victory with a .400 average, a Series record seven extra-base hits, and 25 total bases – also a record.
The big left-handed slugger easily won MVP honors for the playoffs and World Series. In balloting for NL MVP, four voters neglected to to list Stargell on their ballot, and he wound up co-winner with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez. He remains the only man to win all three MVP honors in the same season.
Stargell had his share of big days in the major leagues. On July 22, 1964 he hit for the cycle in a 13-2 victory over the Cardinals. On June 24, 1965 he blasted three home runs against the Dodgers, the first off Don Drysdale. Three more times, in 1968, and twice in 1971, he would hit three homers in a single game. On 36 occasions he hit two homers in a game.
Stargell holds the major league record for most extra-base hits in a single game. On August 1, 1970 he hit two homers and three doubles, scoring five runs. His five long hits gave him 14 total bases, quite a feat, but he topped that on May 22, 1968 when he slugged three homers, a double, and a single, for 15 total bases. In that game, against the Cubs in Wrigley Field, Willie drove in seven runs.
He was a terrific streak hitter. In 1969 he fell one hit short of the NL record for most consecutive hits, with nine. Stargell was famous for his home runs, but he was a very good hitter, despite more than 1,900 career whiffs. His career .282 batting average is excellent compared to other home run hitters, and it’s even better when considered against the low-scoring era he played in. He batted as high as .290 eight times.
Stargell twice led the NL in home runs, with a career high 48 in 1971. His 475 home runs were 15th all-time when he retired following the 1982 season. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. After his playing career he coached for the Pirates in 1985, and the Braves from 1986-1988.
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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts
Played For
Pittsburgh Pirates (1962-1982)
Similar: Willie McCovey, Fred McGriff
Linked: Roberto Clemente, Carl Yastrzemski
Best Season, 1973
He led the NL in doubles (43), home runs (44), RBI (119), and slugging (.646). He set career high’s in games (148) and runs (106). He finished second in NL MVP voting to the Cardinals Joe Torre. Stargell’s efforts spurred the team to the post-season the year after teammate Roberto Clemente was killed in a plane crash. It was now Stargell’s team.
Awards and Honors
1979 NL MVP
1979 NL NLCS MVP
1979 ML WS MVP
Post-Season Appearances
1970 National League Championship Series
1971 National League Championship Series
1971 World Series
1972 National League Championship Series
1974 National League Championship Series
1975 National League Championship Series
1979 National League Championship Series
1979 World Series
Notes
Stargell finished in the top three in MVP voting three other times (1971-1973)… Stargell hit several tremendous home runs during his career. He is credited with some of the longest homers in Three Rivers Stadium as well as Dodger Stadium and Olympic Stadium in Montreal… On April 12, 1966 the Braves made their debut in Atlanta, the first team to play in the deep south. The Braves and Bucs battled into extra-innings. In the top pf the 13th, Willie Stargell clubbed a two-run blast into the right field bleachers, spoiling the joyous coming out party for the new Atlanta Braves. In that game, Joe Torre hit two homers in a losing cause… In 1972, against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Stargell launched a home run off Claude Osteen that was estimated to have traveled 506 feet.
Hitting Streaks
19 games (1969)
Five Extra-Base Hits in One Game (since 1900)
Lou Boudreau, July 14, 1946 (HR, Four 2B)
Joe Adcock, July 31, 1954 (Four HR, 2B)
Willie Stargell, August 1, 1970 (Two HR, Three 2B)
Steve Garvey, August 28, 1977 (Two HR, Three 2B)
Shawn Green, May 23, 2002 (Four HR, 2B)
Quotes About Stargell
“There’s only one word to describe Willie Stargell, and that’s class. He’s been an inspiration to millions of youngsters all over America.” — Tommy Lasorda
“That rare combination of athlete and gentleman. He is one of the very few to be a star both on and off the field.” — former teammate Ken Brett
Quotes From Stargell
“It’s supposed to be fun. The man says ‘play ball,’ not ‘work ball,’ you know.
All-Star Selections
1964 NL
1965 NL
1966 NL
1971 NL
1972 NL
1973 NL
1978 NL
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