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Tim McCarver, a two-time World Series champion for the St. Louis Cardinals and former MLB broadcaster, has died at the age of 81, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He died of heart failure in his hometown of Memphis on Thursday.
McCarver played 21 seasons in the MLB, making his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1959. He is one of the few players in league history to play in four decades.
A catcher, Tim McCarver made two All-Star teams back-to-back in 1966 and 1967.
His peak season came in 1967, when he hit .295 with 14 home runs, 69 RBI and 68 runs scored while posting a career-best .822 OPS. he finished as a runner-up in the National League MVP voting to Cardinals teammate Orlando Cepeda.
But McCarver was known more for his work behind the plate than at it.
He formed close bonds with two Hall of Fame pitchers, Bob Gibson with the Cardinals and Steve Carlton with the Philadelphia Phillies.
So close was his bond with Carlton that he cracked one of the great baseball jokes of all time, saying that “When Steve and I die, we are going to be buried in the same cemetery, 60-feet-six inches apart.”
That, of course, is the distance from the mound to home plate.
After his playing career, Tim McCarver spent time with each of the four major networks as a broadcaster, working for ABC (1984-89), CBS (1990-93), The Baseball Network (ABC, NBC, MLB, 1994-95) and Fox (1996-2013).
During his time in the booth, Tim McCarver had a record 34-year stretch of calling games, called 24 of the 29 World Series from 1985-2013 and worked 22 All-Star games, a record for an analyst.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Tim McCarver after his passing.
