Hank Aaron’s death the latest in spate of Hall of Fame passings
Hammerin’ Hank Aaron’s death on Friday at the age of 86 made him the latest Baseball Hall of Famer to join the Big Game in the Sky.
In the past six months, numerous men enshrined in Cooperstown have passed on, including four since Dec. 19.
Mets great Tom Seaver died of dementia and complications of COVID-19 on Aug. 31, 2020. Tom Terrific, the youthful face of the Amazin’ Mets and their 1969 World Series run, was 75.
Just a week later on Sept. 6, Lou Brock, he of 3,000-plus hits and 938 stolen bases while patrolling the outfield for Cubs and Cardinals from 1961-1979, died after years of health complications at 81.
Brock’s passing was followed by his longtime teammate, Bob Gibson, a holder of multiple MLB and Cardinals records — including a game-changing, single-season ERA of 1.12 in 1968. Gibson’s death at the age of 84 came after a long battle with pancreatic cancer on Oct. 2.
Yankees legend Whitey Ford, who holds the highest winning percentage (.690) among all modern-day major league pitchers with at least 200 wins, departed next on Oct. 8, after 91 years, including 17 seasons in pinstripes.
Five-time Gold Glove second baseman Joe Morgan, a 10-time All-Star and two-time National League MVP, died at 84 on Oct. 11. The Reds great’s family told the AP he was suffering from a nerve condition, a form of polyneuropathy.
Phil Niekro, baseball’s greatest knuckleball thrower — evidence by 318 wins over 24 MLB seasons — succumbed to a cancer on Dec. 26. He pitched for four teams, including two with the Yankees which included a legend-cementing complete-game shutout in the 1985 regular-season finale for his 300th win.
Famed Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda bled “Dodger blue” throughout a career with the franchise that went back to the Brooklyn era. A friend of celebrities and president alike, Lasorda was taken by cardiac arrest on Jan. 7 at the age of 93.
Just this week, former Dodger, Astro, Brewer, Athletic and Angel Don Sutton died of cancer, the Hall of Fame hurler dying on Jan. 18 after a battle with cancer. His 324 career wins rank 14th in MLB history.