Tim McCarver, longtime MLB broadcaster and player, dies at 81

By Jacob Lev, CNN

Famed broadcaster Tim McCarver, who also won two World Series during a long Major League Baseball career, died Thursday at the age of 81, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced.

McCarver died of heart failure, according to MLB.com.

“Tim McCarver was an All-Star, a World Series Champion, a respected teammate, and one of the most influential voices our game has known,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “As a player, Tim was a key part of great Cardinals and Phillies teams in his 21-year career. In the booth, his analysis and attention to detail brought fans closer to our game and how it is played and managed. Tim’s approach enhanced the fan experience on our biggest stages and on the broadcasts of the Mets, the Yankees and the Cardinals.”

McCarver made his major league debut in 1959 with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he was a two-time World Series champion. McCarver also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox before retiring in 1980.

McCarver became a broadcaster, calling games for the Phillies, Cardinals, New York Mets, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants. He later became an analyst for Fox, ABC and CBS, where he called a then-record 23 World Series and 20 All-Star Games.

“Tim joined the Phillies at the height of his career and returned for his final six seasons as a veteran leader, helping the club to three straight NLCS appearances and, ultimately, their first-ever World Series title,” Phillies owner John Middleton said in a statement. “Following his playing career, fans throughout the world, including here in Philadelphia, listened to him describe their favorite team’s most iconic moments with professionalism and class. For Tim’s leadership, friendship and voice, the Phillies are forever grateful.”

The Cardinals added, “Our condolences go out to the McCarver family and his many baseball friends and colleagues.”

A statement from the Mets said McCarver drew on his experiences as a longtime player and gave “fans an insightful, humorous and knowledgeable behind the scenes look into the game of baseball.” The team said he had a “unique opinion on what went on between the lines.”

McCarver was awarded the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award in 2012 for his Emmy-winning work in the booth.

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