Pirates great Dave Parker dies at 74, a month before his induction into baseball Hall of Fame

A rocket-armed right fielder and five-tool star who brought a big bat and a smooth swagger to the 1979 World Series champions, Dave Parker became a larger-than-life figure for the “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates lost a member of the family when Parker died Saturday at 74, just a month shy of being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. He had battled Parkinson’s Disease for more than a decade.

The Pirates announced Parker’s passing and asked for a moment of silence just minutes before the start of their game against the New York Mets at PNC Park. Nicknamed The Cobra, Parker was a seven-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, two-time National League batting champion, and three-time winner of the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

“The time he was here with the Pirates, he did some amazing things on the field: Part of being a world champion here, crazy numbers, back-to-back years where he won the batting title,” said Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen, another franchise icon. “It’s a tough thing to hear, but he had been battling Parkinson’s for quite some time … It was rough to see him go through that. I just hope now he’s in a better place and not having to worry about any of that stuff any more. Just thinking about his family and the fanbase who may have had any type of interaction with him, childhoods. He was probably Superman to a lot of people when he played. It’s a tough thing. Try to focus on the good, the positive, the things that he did while he was here.”

Parker played 11 seasons with the Pirates, who inducted him into their inaugural Hall of Fame class in September 2022.

“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Dave Parker,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “A beloved member of the Pirates family, ‘The Cobra’ was one of the most dominating and intimidating players to ever wear a Pirates uniform. … He had a big personality, and his passing has left an even bigger void with all who knew him. Our hearts go out to his wife, Kellye, and his family.”

With Hall of Famer Willie Stargell passing in 2001, Parker drew the loudest cheers from Pirates fans when he returned to Pittsburgh for celebrations of the World Series championship team.

“It meant a lot to me,” Parker said. “(The Pirates) were a great brotherhood, and they were always family. I could leave, come back, everything’s the same.”

Parker batted .290 with 2,712 hits, 339 home runs and 1,493 RBIs in 2,466 career games over 19 MLB seasons with the Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays. He won another World Series with the A’s in 1989.

Parker had long made his case that he was worthy of the Hall of Fame He was elected by the Classic Era Baseball Committee in December and will be inducted July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

“General managers had a poll, and they were asked who would be the first guy they would begin a franchise with, and it was me,” Parker said in 2019 at the 40th anniversary of the 1979 World Series champions. “I did everything that you can do. I journeyed some things twice. They said I was the best player in the game, so live up to it and do what’s right: Make me the Hall of Famer that I should be.

“I think I should be there. Most people that know me and played against me, they look at me as a Hall of Famer anyway. I don’t think that there was anybody from 1975 to ’81 that was a better player than me.”

Drafted by the Pirates in the 14th round out of Cincinnati’s Courter Tech, Parker made his major league debut July 12, 1973, just months after franchise icon Roberto Clemente perished in a plane crash while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Nicaraguan earthquake victims. Parker ultimately replaced the legendary Clemente in right field, filling a gaping hole with tantalizing talent.

Parker played 1,301 games with the Pirates. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound left-handed hitter was a key member of the 1979 World Series champions, starting 158 games in right field while hitting .310 with 25 homers and 94 RBIs.

“He was a gamer. He came to play and played hard every single day,” former Pirates teammate Mike Easler said of Parker. “Dave was a warrior.”

Parker proved it by playing through pain in 1978 — his NL MVP season — after breaking his jaw in a collision with Mets catcher John Stearns. Parker first wore a football facemask and then a hockey goalie mask for protection upon returning to playing in games for the Pirates. He also had 154 career stolen bases, including 20 in back-to-back seasons while hitting 30 and 25 homers, respectively, with the Pirates in 1978-79.

“I felt like a bad dude because of the way I played the game,” Parker said. “I never ran a ball halfway to first base. I hit the ball to second base and guys would barely throw me out. I had outstanding speed, above-average throwing arm. I did everything.”

After finishing third in NL MVP voting in 1975 and 1977, Parker earned the honor in 1978 while winning the NL batting crown with a .334 average and hitting 30 home runs with 117 RBIs. And he spoke with the same brash bravado as he played.

“When the leaves turn brown,” Parker quipped, “I’ll be wearing the batting crown.”

In 1979, Parker batted .310 with 25 homers and 94 RBIs while starting 158 games in right field. The sheer threat of his arm strength scared runners from attempting to take an extra base, and he showed it off in the 1979 All-Star Game by throwing out Jim Rice at third and Brian Downing at home plate to earn MVP honors.

“I loved throwing out runners,” he said. “I (threw out) 21 one year, I had 25 another year so I enjoyed throwing out players. And if they kept running, I would hit them in the back of the head with the ball.”

Parker was a pivotal part of the Pirates’ “Lumber Co.” and went 10 for 29 with three doubles and four RBIs in the World Series, producing a .345/.394/.448 slash line in seven games against the Baltimore Orioles.

For a five-year span, Parker was regarded as the best player in baseball. He wasn’t shy about stating that he belonged in the Hall of Fame, despite his involvement in the drug trials that gave the game a black eye. After leaving Pittsburgh for his hometown Reds after the 1983 season, Parker earned two more All-Star selections in 1985 and 1986, winning a pair of Silver Sluggers while finishing as NL MVP runner-up in 1985.

“We are heartbroken by the passing of Dave Parker,” Reds principal owner and managing partner Bob Castellini said in a statement. “Dave was a towering figure on the field, in the clubhouse, and in the Cincinnati community where his baseball journey began, playing on the fields near his home and going to games at Crosley Field. Dave’s impact on the game and on this franchise will never be forgotten. We are extremely proud he wore a Reds uniform as part of his Hall of Fame career. Our thoughts are with his family and all who loved him.”

Former Reds teammate Eric Davis said Parker “probably had more impact on young players than any player I’ve ever been around,” and Reds Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin also sang Parker’s praises.

“He was such a big dude at a time when there weren’t that many ‘6-foot-5, 230-pound, dynamic defender, batting champion with power’ guys,” Larkin said in a statement. “Everything about him was impressive.”

Parker will be joined in the 2025 class by late Wampum native Dick Allen (Philadelphia Phillies), CC Sabathia (New York Yankees), Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners) and Billy Wagner (Houston Astros). The Hall of Fame announced in February that Parker’s plaque will depict him wearing a Pirates cap, which will be unveiled at the induction ceremony.

“We join the baseball family in remembering Dave Parker,” Baseball Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement. “His legacy will be one of courage and leadership, matched only by his outstanding accomplishments on the field. His election to the Hall of Fame in December brought great joy to him, his family and all the fans who marveled at his remarkable abilities. We will honor his incredible life and career at next month’s Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown, where his legacy will be remembered forever.”