McCovey remembered for humility and care for others
SAN FRANCISCO >> Aside from that fearsome left-handed swing everybody knew, Willie McCovey provided an example of humility in how he lived for many of his San Francisco Giants teammates year after year.
“McCovey was our leader,” Gaylord Perry said as his fellow Hall of Famer was remembered in a celebration of his life Thursday at AT&T Park.
McCovey died Oct. 31 at age 80 after suffering from ongoing health issues.
Hall of Famers, former teammates and winners of the Willie Mac Award named for him attended on a picture-perfect day. McCovey’s
44 was written into the infield dirt next to his position at first base.
The San Francisco Fire Department paid tribute with a spraying show from a boat in his namesake McCovey Cove in the bay beyond the right-field arcade. Bouquets of flowers were left on McCovey’s statue across the water.
A first baseman and left fielder who won NL Rookie of the Year in
1959 and MVP 10 years later, McCovey was a .270 career hitter with
521 home runs and 1,555 RBIs in 22 major league seasons, 19 of them with the Giants. He also played for the Athletics and Padres.
“What he did on the field, everybody knows what he did,” Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda said. “But as a human being, Willie McCovey was very special.”
McCovey wore No. 44 to honor Hank Aaron — who like McCovey grew up in Mobile, Alabama.
“If there is a second life, I’d like to come back as a major league baseball player,” McCovey once said.
“Stretch,” as he was fondly known, never won a World Series after coming so close. The Giants lost the 1962 World Series to the Yankees, dropping Game 7 1-0 when McCovey lined out to second baseman Bobby Richardson with runners on second and third for the final out.
“Willie’s indelible moment happened to be a screaming line drive that found Bobby Richardson’s glove in Game 7 of the 1962 World Series,” Giants CEO Larry Baer said. “A few feet one way or another, people say, and Willie’s legacy rises to a whole different level. Well, I couldn’t disagree with that more. Even if that line drive had gotten past Bobby Richardson and driven in the winning run, that one heroic moment would never have defined Willie’s legacy. His legacy transcends baseball, transcends his six All-Star appearances, his Rookie of the Year award, his MVP, even his Hall of Fame induction.”
McCovey was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 in his first time on the ballot.
Smith dealt back to Seattle for Zunino, Heredia
SEATTLE >> Mallex Smith was made a promise by Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto when he was acquired for a second time by the Mariners after an initial tenure that lasted less than two hours.
“Dipoto didn’t guarantee anything, but he said I at least have 78 minutes,” Smith joked. “We’ll see.”
Smith is back with the Mariners as part of a five-player deal between Seattle and Tampa Bay that landed the Rays catcher Mike Zunino and outfielder Guillermo Heredia.
The swap continued a lengthy trade history between the teams and came as a surprise to Zunino, who said he had recent conversations with Seattle manager Scott Servais looking ahead to 2019.
Smith, 25, stole a career-best 40 bases this year and was caught 12 times. He hit .296, tied for the major league lead with 10 triples and had 40 RBIs. His previous Seattle stint lasted all of 77 minutes before he was sent to the Rays.
Zunino, 27, was taken by Seattle with the third overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft and signed for a $4 million bonus. He hit just .201 this year but had 20 homers with 44 RBIs, down from a .251 average, 25 homers and 64 RBIs in 2017. While well-regarded for his defense, he has struck out 310 times in 760 at-bats during the past two seasons.
Kang re-signs with Pirates
PITTSBURGH >> Jung Ho Kang is staying with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pittsburgh and the third baseman agreed to a $3 million, one-year contract that includes $2.5 million in performance bonuses based on plate appearances: $625,000 each for 200, 300, 400 and 500. The deal was announced a week after Pittsburgh declined a $5.5 million club option for Kang, triggering a $250,000 buyout.
“We feel that bringing Jung Ho back in 2019 will make us better as he will have the ability to make a positive impact on our lineup,” general manager Neal Huntington said.