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

Tim McCarver, a 21-year MLB veteran and longtime FOX Sports broadcaster, died Thursday. He was 81 years old.

McCarver began his big-league career in 1959 with the St. Louis Cardinals at the age of 17. His best years came in 1966 and 1967, when he made consecutive National League All-Star teams as a catcher. He was the MVP runner-up in ’67. 

McCarver played in three World Series and won two rings (1964, 1967). He hit .311 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in those three series.

He went on to also play for the Phillies, Expos and Red Sox in a career that spanned 1,909 games. In Philadelphia, McCarver became the personal catcher for future Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton. McCarver had a career batting line of .271/.337/.388, hit 97 home runs and finished his career with 645 RBIs. He is one of 31 players ever to play in four different decades.

After his retirement as a player in 1980, McCarver found a second career as a broadcaster. He worked for all four major networks, but spent the most time at FOX, where he was paired with Joe Buck on the network’s broadcasts from 1996 to 2013. McCarver called 24 World Series throughout his career, 18 of them for FOX.

He was a three-time Sports Emmy Award winner and won the 2012 Ford C. Frick award for his work as a broadcaster.