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Willey McCovey

 
 

Willey McCovey was born on January 10, 1938 in Mobile, Alabama. He made his major league debut on July 30, 1959. On October 16, 1962, he was left by a mere margin of being a superstar of World Series. The Giants pursued the perennial champions of the Fall Classic, New York Yankees with runners at second and third and two out in the ninth inning of the seventh game. The play became the most talked about among the fans when McCovey hit a line drive toward right field that second baseman Boffbby Richardson ran through to end the Series. That moment also became a publicity stunt and a running element for Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" comic strip. 

 
 

McCovey joined the Giants in the middle of the 1959 season after securing 29 homers in three months in the Pacific Coast League. He made his Giants career debut by scoring 4-for-4 with two singles and two triples against Robin Roberts and hit .354 regardless of playing in only 52 games. For his fine performance he took home the NL Rookie of the Year honors. In 1960 his career drooped so he was forced to spent time in the minor leagues at Tacoma.

After some time the Giants badly required his bat in their active line-up. Consequently he headed toward a fifth-place finish. He became the first baseman who was inculcated in the team by trade. For the most part of 1960s he spent his time in the outfield. But after Cepeda was felled by a knee injury in 1965, McCovey replaced him. McCovey was a humble and down to earth personality whose talents were not often covered by media as those of his contemporary teammates.

 

 

Willey McCovey

 

His special royal trademark was his overwhelming dead-pull power that made him one the most dreaded home run hitters of his era. McCovey first led the NL in homers in 1963, with 44, and won the title again in 1968, with 36, and in 1969, with 45. For four successive seasons from 1967 through 1970, he led the National League in home run percentage. He became one of the few players to homer in all twelve parks in 1970. In 1969 he earned the MVP honor and led the NL with 45 homers, 126 RBI, and a .656 slugging percentage. His 9.2 home run percentage that year is one of the maximum ever. His appearance in the 1969 All-Star Game was his third of six, which gave a boost to NL. He became a key player of the Giants team that consistently strived to deliver their best. With his assistance his club reached the World Series in 1962 and the NL playoffs in 1971. Giants owners infuriated McCovey fans by trading him to the San Diego Padres preceding the 1974 season.  McCovey had two good seasons and one poor before the Padres sold him to the Oakland Athletics. For the Oakland Athletics he played only 11 games. They also released him at the end of the season. In 1977, the Giants new proprietorship invited him to join their training camp. On June 27, 1977, he hit a grand slam and a solo home run in the same inning against the Cincinnati Reds. After achieving this feat he became the only player in history to hit two home runs in one inning twice. In 1980, the Giants first baseman hit his only home run of the season, a sweeping swing to belt 521 homers. He ranks 10th on the all-time home run list.