Willie McCovey

Quotes About McCovey
"McCovey didn't hit any cheap one[s]. When he belts a home run, he does it with such authority it seems like an act of God. You can't cry about it." — Walter Alston

"Why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just three feet higher?" — Charlie Brown, from Charles Schulz's December 22, 1962, Peanuts comic strip

Played For
San Francisco Giants (1959-1973)
San Diego Padres (1974-1976)
Oakland Athletics (1976)
San Francisco Giants (1977-1980)

Minor League Experience
On July 15, 1960, San Francisco fog played havoc with a Giants/Dodgers game. McCovey hit a ball into the gap and strolled to third with an "invisible triple" - prompting umpire Frank Dascoli to halt play for 24 minutes. Two days later the Giants sent McCovey down to the minors - the 1959 Rookie of the Year was hitting .244.

All-Time Rankings
Willie McCovey ranks #8 among the Top 50 all-time at 1B. Rankings ⇒

Best Season: 1969
McCovey was the best offensive player in the National League, and possibly baseball, from 1969-1971. In 1969 he peaked with 45 homers and 126 RBI. His .320 batting average was fifth in the league, but he won the other two legs of the triple crown. He also led the league in every important offensive measurement stat - OPS, TA, Runs Created, Batter Runs, slugging. On April 27, he hit three home runs in both games of a doubleheader! He edged Tom Seaver for the MVP award.

Factoids
In December of 1962, and again in January of 1963, Charles M. Schulz penned "Peanuts" cartton strips that mentioned McCovey's near-game-winning hit in the World Series that previous fall. In the first one, Charlie Brown asks, "Why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just three feet higher?" and in the second he wonders, "Or why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball even two feet higher?"

Erasing a fellow Giant sluggers name from the record books, Willie McCovey hit his 513rd career homer, off the Cubs' Dennis Lamp, on June 14, 1979. Thus, McCovey became the all-time lefthanded HR hitter in National League history, surpassing Mel Ott. In 2001, another Giants slugger, Barry Bonds, eclipsed McCovey's mark.

Where He Played
McCovey played 2,045 games at first base, 275 as an outfielder (mostly left field), and nine as a DH with the A's.

Born
Willie Lee McCovey was born on January 10, 1938, in Mobile, AL.

Batted:  Left
Threw:  Left

Primary Position:  1B

Primary Team:  SFN

Major League Debut
July 30, 1959 ... McCovey was a heralded prospect, having paced the Pacific Coast League with a .377 average and 28 homers prior to his call-up. In his ML debut, McCovey hit third in the Giants' lineup, sandwiched between Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda. The three future Hall of Famers helped the team to a 7-2 win, with McCovey lacing four hits, including two triples. "Big Mac" scored three runs and drove in two, playing first base while Cepeda moved to third.

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1959
Willie McCovey
Billy Williams
Maury Wills
Tommy Davis
Jim Kaat
Tim McCarver
Jim Perry
Mike Cuellar
Zoilo Versalles

Nicknames
Stretch, Mac, Big Mac

Uniform Numbers
#44 (1959-1980)

Similar Players
Willie Stargell, Fred McGriff

Related Players
McCovey's longtime teammate and mentor was Willie Mays... In 1959 McCovey won the NL ROY Award, following teammate Orlando Cepeda two make it two straight ROY's for the Giants... On July 30, 1959 McCovey debuted against Robin Roberts, collecting four hits including two triples. Later in the season Roberts will halt McCovey's 22-game hitting streak just one game shy of Richie Ashburn's NL rookie record... On September 22, 1963 for the first time, all three Alou brothers played in the Giants' outfield. In the seventh inning, Matty was in LF, Felipe replaced Mays in CF, and Jesus was in RF. In the 8th, the three were retired in order. In that game McCovey hit three homers as the Giants whipped the Mets, 13–4... McCovey was traded to the Padres in a deal that included pitcher Mike Caldwell... In 1985 Andre Dawson joined McCovey as the only two players in baseball history to hit two homers in an inning twice... McCovey was inducted into the Hall of Fame with Bobby Doerr and Ernie Lombardi in 1986.

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1986 BBWAA 346 81.4%

Post-Season Appearances
1962 World Series
1971 National League Championship Series

Post-Season Notes
McCovey made the final out of the '62 Series when he lined a shot that was speared by Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson. If the ball had fallen in, the game-tying run may have scored. Though it has been descibed by some as a leaping play, Richardson never left his feet in making the catch.

Awards and Honors
1959 NL Rookie of the Year
1969 ML AS MVP
1969 NL MVP

Feats
On August 2, 1959, McCovey hit the first of his 521 major-league homers, off Pittsburgh's Ron Kline, as the Giants defeat the Pirates 5-3... On September 16, 1966, McCovey hit a 500-ft home run, reportedly the longest ever hit at Candlestick Park... On April 12, 1973, McCovey hit two home runs in the 4th inning of a 9-3 win over the Astros... McCovey's grand slam on May 30, 1975, was his third career pinch slam, tying the major-league record held by Ron Northey and Rich Reese. It was Big Mac's 16th lifetime bases-loaded homer, tying the NL record held by Hank Aaron... With the Giants for a second time, McCovey smashed two homers in the sixth inning on June 27, 1977, to pace a 14-9 victory over the Reds. McCovey became the first player to twice hit two dingers in one inning, and at the same time becames the all-time NL leader with 17 career grand slams.

Milestones
On June 30, 1978, McCovey hit his 500th home run, in the first game of the doubleheader, off Jamie Easterly.

Milestones

• July 29, 1969: 300th HR...


• July 15, 1973: 400th HR...


• June 30, 1978: 500th HR... Off of Jamie Easterly.

Notes
On July 24, 1990, Vida Blue was married on the pitcher's mound at Candlestick Park. A crowd of some 50,000 fans attended what was called "Appreciation Day." The bride was chauffeured to the mound in a horse-drawn carriage, where Orlando Cepeda gave her away. The best man was Willie McCovey.

Hitting Streaks
24 games (1963)
22 games (1959)
16 games (1969)

Transactions
Signed as an amateur free agent by New York Giants (March 12, 1955); Traded by San Francisco Giants with Bernie Williams to San Diego Padres in exchange for Mike Caldwell (October 25, 1973); Sold by San Diego Padres to Oakland Athletics (August 30, 1976); Granted free agency (November 1, 1976; Signed by San Francisco Giants as a free agent (January 6, 1977).

All-Star Selections
1963 NL
1966 NL
1968 NL
1969 NL
1970 NL
1971 NL

Replaced
Amazing as it seems now, during his first four seasons (1959-1962), McCovey was used in a platoon and/or part-time role by the Giants. He was platooned at first base with another future Hall of Famer, right-handed hitting Orlando Cepeda. McCovey was tried in left field in 1962, but his path was blocked by Harvey Kuenn, one of three .300 hitters the G-Men had in the outfield. Finally, in 1963, the 25-year old McCovey supplanted Kueen in left. It's safe to say, in retrospect, that McCovey was ready for a full-time role in his rookie season, at the age of 21. The Giants use of him during this period probably cost McCovey 50 homers and more than 200 hits. Given that playing time, McCovey could have retired as the fifth all-time home run hitter in baseball history instead of ranking where he did - eighth.

Replaced By
The circle was complete for McCovey late in his career. His last three years with the Giants, he was platooned with right-handed slugger Mike Ivie. The year after McCovey retired, in 1981, the Giants used Enos Cabell at first base. Yes, really.

Best Strength as a Player
Power

Largest Weakness as a Player
None

Learn More about Willie McCovey
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