Tim McCarver, who worked for Major League Baseball for 21 years and was a Hall of Fame broadcaster, died Thursday at the age of 81, the National Baseball Hall of Fame said.
McCarver played in Major League Baseball for 21 years. With the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964 and 1967, he won two World Series rings.
McCarver was a catcher for most of his career, which lasted from 1959 to 1980. After he stopped playing, though, he didn’t give up on baseball. He then went into broadcasting and won three Emmy Awards as a color commentator, mostly for Fox Sports.
FOX Sports CEO and Executive Producer, Eric Shanks, said in a statement –
“We are saddened by the passing of our longtime friend and former colleague, baseball legend Tim McCarver. To a generation of fans, Tim will forever be remembered as the champion whose game-winning home run during the 1964 World Series echoed throughout time; to another, his voice will forever be the soundtrack to some of the most memorable moments in the game’s history/ to us, he will forever be in our hearts. On behalf of the entire FOX Sports family, we offer our deepest condolences to the entire McCarver family.”
McCarver won the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012, and in 2016, he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement (as per reports of Foxnews.com) –
“Tim McCarver was an All-Star, a World Series Champion, a respected teammate, and one of the most influential voices our game has known.”
“As a player, Tim was a key part of great Cardinals and Phillies teams in his 21-year career. In the booth, his analysis and attention to detail brought fans closer to our game and how it is played and managed. Tim’s approach enhanced the fan experience on our biggest stages and on the broadcasts of the Mets, the Yankees and the Cardinals.”
“All of us at Major League Baseball are grateful for Tim’s impact on sports broadcasting and his distinguished career in our National Pastime. I extend my deepest condolences to Tim’s family, friends and the generations of fans who learned about our great game from him.”
In 1959, the Cardinals signed McCarver out of Memphis, Tennessee’s Christian Brothers High School. He was only 17 years old when he made his debut in the major leagues. In 1963, when he played a full season with the Cardinals, his career really took off. He hit .289/.333/.383 and had 23 extra-base hits.
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He played for the Cardinals for 12 years before moving on to the Philadelphia Phillies. During that time, he made it to two All-Star Games.
In the early 1970s, he played for the Phillies, the Montreal Expos, the Boston Red Sox, and even the St. Louis Cardinals again. However, he spent his last six seasons in MLB with the Phillies.
Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton said in a statement –
“The Phillies are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Tim McCarver and extend our most heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, former teammates and colleagues.”
“Tim joined the Phillies at the height of his career and returned for his final six seasons as a veteran leader, helping the club to three straight NLCS appearances and, ultimately, their first-ever World Series title. Following his playing career, fans throughout the world, including here in Philadelphia, listened to him describe their favourite team’s most iconic moments with professionalism and class. For Tim’s leadership, friendship and voice, the Phillies are forever grateful.”
McCarver ended his career with a batting line of.271, .337, and .388. He had 97 home runs and 645 RBI. McCarver’s first job as a sportscaster was with the Philadelphia Phillies on WPHL-TV, where he worked with Richie Ashburn and Harry Kalas.
But he ended up calling games on national TV for Fox, where he worked with Joe Buck from 1996 to 2013. During his long broadcasting career, McCarver called 23 World Series and 20 All-Star Games.
When he won the Hall of Fame’s Frick Award in 2012, he said that his skills as a catcher helped him in the next part of his baseball journey. McCarver said upon receiving the honor –
“I think there is a natural bridge from being a catcher to talking about the view of the game and the view of the other players.”
“It is translating that for the viewers.”
Here ends our coverage of Tim McCarver’s passing. McCarver, a Hall of Fame commentator for Major League Baseball who worked for the league for 21 years, passed away at age 81.
