2 days ago
Baseball fable and Puerto Rican icon Orlando Cepeda has died astatine property 86 conscionable 10 days aft his long-time teammate and chap Hall of Famer, Willie Mays.
Known arsenic 'Baby Bull,' Cepeda was nan unanimous National League Most Valuable Player victor successful 1967 arsenic he led nan St. Louis Cardinals to nan World Series title complete nan Boston Red Sox.
The announcement came from nan San Francisco Giants, for whom Cepeda played nan first 9 seasons of his 17-year profession opening successful 1958. The Giants held a infinitesimal of soundlessness earlier nan sixth inning of Friday's 5-3 triumph against nan visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.
Cepeda clubbed 379 location runs, drove successful 1,365 runs and deed .297 pinch an OPS of .849 while playing chiefly for nan Giants, Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, earlier finishing pinch nan Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals.
Cepeda won nan National League Rookie of nan Year Award successful 1958, nan Giants' first play successful San Francisco aft leaving New York City's Polo Grounds. He deed .312 pinch 25 homers, 96 RBIs and an NL-best 38 doubles successful 148 games.
Orlando Cepeda (left) and Willie Mays are pictured astatine New York's Polo Grounds successful 1963
Orlando Cepeda waves to nan crowd during a ceremonial for Willie Mays' 80 day successful 2011
Mays said of Cepeda's rookie season, 'He is annoying each pitcher successful nan league. He is strong, he hits to each fields and he makes each nan plays. He's nan astir relaxed first-year man I ever saw.'
Cepeda's passing came conscionable 10 days aft Mays died connected June 18.
Cepeda vanished arsenic MVP runner-up successful 1961, erstwhile he slugged a league-high 46 location runs and a major-league-leading 142 RBIs. He besides was an 11-time All-Star, pinch 8 of those honors coming successful 4 consecutive seasons (1959-62) erstwhile nan fields had 2 specified games.
Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said successful a statement, 'This is genuinely a sad time for nan San Francisco Giants. For each of Orlando's bonzer shot accomplishments, it was his generosity, kindness and joyousness that defined him. No 1 loved nan crippled more.'
'Our beloved Orlando passed distant peacefully astatine location this evening, listening to his favourite euphony and surrounded by his loved ones,' his wife, Nydia, said successful a statement. 'We return comfortableness that he is astatine peace.'
Cepeda played only 33 games successful 1965 and 19 early successful 1966 owed to injuries, and successful nan meantime, Willie McCovey settled successful arsenic nan Giants' first baseman. Cepeda asked to beryllium traded and was dealt connected May 8, 1966, to nan St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Ray Sadecki.
The Cardinals won 101 games successful 1967 and nan World Series title successful 7 games complete nan Boston Red Sox. St. Louis returned to nan World Series nan pursuing play but mislaid successful 7 games to nan Detroit Tigers.
Cepeda was elected to nan Hall of Fame successful 1999.
