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Willie McCovey - San Francisco
Giants Hall of Famer |
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 On October 16, 1962 at
Candlestick Park, McCovey came
within inches of being a World
Series hero. The Giants trailed the
perennially powerful Yankees 1-0
with runners at second and third and
two out in the bottom of the ninth
inning of the seventh game. McCovey
hit a line drive toward right field
that second baseman
Bobby Richardson speared to end
the Series. The play has been
discussed by fans ever since. It
even became a running element of
Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" comic
strip, a moment in life that Charlie
Brown could relate to with complete
empathy...Book
Willie McCovey for Your Event
McCovey had his banner year in 1969
and won the MVP award. In addition
to leading the NL with 45 homers,
126 RBI, and a .656 slugging
percentage, he drew a record 45
intentional walks and finished fifth
with a .320 batting average. His 9.2
home run percentage that year is one
of the highest ever. McCovey's
appearance in the 1969
All-Star Game was his third of
six, and he paced the NL to a 9-3
victory with two home runs. McCovey
was an integral part of an
ever-changing Giants team that
contended for a decade, reaching the
World Series in 1962 and the NL
playoffs in 1971. Giants owners
devastated Bay Area fans by sending
McCovey, their favorite player, to
the upstart San Diego Padres prior
to the 1974 season. Tagged Big Mac
in deference to Padres and
McDonald's owner Ray Kroc, McCovey
had two good seasons and one poor
one before the Padres sold him to
the Oakland Athletics, the Giants'
cross-bay competition. He played in
only 11 games for the A's, who
released him at the end of the
season. McCovey was invited by new
Giants ownership to San Francisco's
spring training camp in 1977, and he
responded with a 28-homer, 86-RBI
comeback at the age of 39.
The final hurrah of McCovey's
career came in 1980 when he hit his
only home run of the season and the
521st and final one of his career,
which then tied him with
Ted Williams for tenth place
all-time in home runs. Having played
during four decades, he retired
during the season and joined the
Giants' public- and
community-relations staff. McCovey
was inducted into the Hall of Fame
in 1986.
>>> Book Willie McCovey for Your Event
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