Willie “Stretch’ McCovey  turns 75 today. Willie McCovey played major league baseball for 19 years with the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics. He will be remembered most for his years with the Giants. Willie McCovey according to the great Bob Gibson was “the scariest hitter in baseball.” In the late 1960’s-early 1970’s he was just that. In the National League during that time the two players I would not want to see with a bat in their hands if I were a pitcher would be two Willie’s- McCovey and Stargell of the Pirates. I know as a Pirate fan he was one man I didn’t want to see come up. It seemed like everything he hit was hit HARD.

Willie McCovey was a 6 time All-Star. He hit 521 home runs during his career with 1555 runs batted in and a .270 career batting average. He led the National League in home runs 3 times and in runs batted in twice. His finest seasons were in 1968 and 1969. He was the National League MVP in 1969 when he slugged 45 home runs, 126 runs batted in and hit .320.  Willie McCovey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.