Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial Dies at Age 92
Published On January 20, 2013 |
Stanley Frank Musial, St. Louis Cardinals star and one of the greatest players in the history of baseball, died Saturday.
“Stan the Man” died at his home in Ladue, Missouri surrounded by family.
Musial was a baseball icon. He had too many batting records to fit on his Hall of Fame plaque and two statues made in his honor that stand outside Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals.
His legacy was equal of those of Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio even without being in a big city. Musial won seven National League batting crowns, was a three-time MVP and helped the Cardinals win three World Series championships in the 1940s.
His whole career was spent playing with the Cardinals. He played for 22 years, and he made the All-Star game 24 times (there used to be two All-Star games each summer). Before his death, he was the longest-tenured living Hall of Famer.
Although Musial started off as a pitcher, an injury caused him to turn to playing the outfield and first base. He went on to hit .331 with 475 home runs before retiring in 1963. Musial was also the first Cardinals player to have his number retired.
Outside of baseball, Musial enjoyed doing magic tricks for kids and playing the harmonica to entertain crowds.
Stan will be missed, and those close to him recall his greatness.
“We have lost the most beloved member of the Cardinals family,” team chairman William DeWitt Jr. said.
“I will cherish my friendship with Stan for as long as I live,” Albert Pujols wrote on Twitter. “Rest in Peace.”
“I never heard anybody say a bad word about him — ever,” Willie Mays said in a statement released by the Hall of Fame.
“Stan will be remembered in baseball annals as one of the pillars of our game,” Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson said. “The mold broke with Stan. There will never be another like him.”
Musial is survived by his four children, Richard, Gerry, Janet and Jean, as well as 11 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. His wife died in May 2012.
The Cardinals released a statement saying the funeral arrangements had not yet been finalized, but the team has set up a memorial site around one of Musial’s statues at Busch Stadium.
