Willie Stargell - Stargell's Own Quotations

Stargell's Own Quotations

  • "The (umpire) says 'play' ball, not 'work' ball."
  • "Trying to hit Sandy Koufax was like trying to drink coffee with a fork."
  • "Throwing a knuckleball for a strike is like throwing a butterfly with hiccups across the street into your neighbor's mailbox."
  • "They give you a round bat and they throw you a round ball and they tell you to hit it square." (Ted Williams and Pete Rose have also been credited with similar versions of this quote.)
  • "Now I know why they boo Richie—Dick Allen—all the time. When he hits a home run, there's no souvenir." (Allen, also well known for mammoth home runs and not very beloved by Philadelphia Phillies fans, had hit a ball over the left-center field roof of Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium.)
  • (After winning a game in 1979 against the Cincinnati Reds with a pinch RBI single after a disputed check-swing call) "Maybe it was this black bat I used. Or this black shirt or my black arms that made the Reds think they saw something."
  • "Now when they walk down the street, the people of Pittsburgh can say that we come from a city that has nothing but champions!" (Stargell during the celebratory parade in the city after the 1979 World Series, that year Pittsburgh won both their third Super Bowl and second World Series of the seventies. This quote is attributed to the creation of one of Pittsburgh's nicknames: "The City Of Champions")

Highlights

  • Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee (1988)
  • National League Co-MVP (shared with Keith Hernandez, 1979)
  • 7-time Top 10 MVP (1971–75, 1978–79)
  • 7-time All-Star (1964–66, 1971–73, 1978)
  • National League Championship Series MVP (1979)
  • World Series MVP (1979)
  • ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year (1979)
  • Led National League in Slugging Percentage (1973)
  • Twice led National League in OPS (1973–74)
  • Led National League in Doubles (1973)
  • Twice led National League in Home Runs (1971 and 1973)
  • Led National League in RBI (1973)
  • Twice led National League in Extra-Base Hits (1971 and 1973)
  • Hit for the cycle (1964)
  • Threw the last pitch at Three Rivers Stadium, as part of the park's farewell ceremony (2000)

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