‘Stretch’ McCovey dies at 80

Willie McCovey, the sweet-swinging Hall of Famer nicknamed “Stretch” for his 6-foot-4 height and those long arms, died Wednesday. He was 80.

The San Francisco Giants announced McCovey’s death, saying the fearsome hitter passed “peacefully” on Wednesday afternoon “after losing his battle with ongoing health issues.”

A first baseman and left fielder, McCovey was a .270 career hitter with 521 home runs and 1,555 RBIs in 22 major league seasons, 19 with the Giants. He also played for the Athletics and Padres.

McCovey made his major league debut at 21 on July 30, 1959, and played alongside the other Willie — Hall of Famer Willie Mays — into the 1972 season before Mays was traded to the New York Mets.

McCovey batted .354 with 13 homers and 38 RBIs on the way to winning the 1959 NL rookie of the year award. The six-time All-Star also won the 1969 NL MVP and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 after his first time on the ballot.

“You knew right away he wasn’t an ordinary ballplayer,” Hank Aaron said, courtesy of the Hall of Fame. “He was so strong, and he had the gift of knowing the strike zone. There’s no telling how many home runs he would have hit if those knees weren’t bothering him all the time and if he played in a park other than Candlestick.”

McCovey narrowly beat out Mets pitcher Tom Seaver for the 1969 MVP award. McCovey led the NL in home runs (45) and RBIs (126) for the second straight year, batting .320 while also posting NL bests with a .453 on-base percentage and .656 slugging percentage. He was walked 121 times, then drew a careerhigh 137 free passes the next season.

McCovey was born on Jan. 10, 1938, in Mobile, Alabama.

■ Three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to extend the deadline on his opt-out decision until 1 p.m. PDT today. Kershaw can opt out of the last two years and $65 million of his contract to become a free agent for the first time in an 11-year big league career spent entirely with the Dodgers.

College football: Mississippi won part of its appeal of NCAA sanctions against the program, with a committee overturning the penalty restricting the school from hosting unofficial recruiting visits. This season’s bowl ban and other penalties still stand. Some of the penalties for recruiting rules violations against the program were self-imposed by the school.

Gymnastics: Simone Biles is still the best even when she’s not at her best. The 21-year-old star won her fourth world all-around championship Thursday in Doha, Qatar, surviving a series of mistakes to become the first woman to earn four all-around titles.

Golf: Paul Dunne shot a bogey-free, 7-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Turkish Airlines Open.