SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Willie McCovey Matt Moore Jersey , the sweet-swinging Hall of Famer nicknamed “Stretch” for his 6-foot-4 height and those long arms, died Wednesday. He was 80.death, saying the fearsome hitter passed “peacefully” on Wednesday afternoon “after losing his battle with ongoing health issues.”A first baseman and left fielder, McCovey was a .270 career hitter with 521 home runs and 1,555 RBIs in 22 major league seasons, 19 of them with the Giants. He also played for the Athletics and Padres.McCovey made his major league debut at 21 on July 30, 1959, and played alongside the other Willie — Hall of Famer Willie Mays — into the 1972 season before Mays was traded to the New York Mets.McCovey batted .354 with 13 homers and 38 RBIs on the way to winning the 1959 NL Rookie of the Year award. The six-time All-Star also won the 1969 NL MVP and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 after his first time on the ballot.“You knew right away he wasn’t an ordinary ballplayer,” Hall of Famer Hank Aaron said, courtesy of the Hall of Fame. “He was so strong, and he had the gift of knowing the strike zone. There’s no telling how many home runs he would have hit if those knees weren’t bothering him all the time and if he played in a park other than Candlestick.”McCovey had been getting around in a wheelchair in recent years because he could no longer rely on his once-dependable legs, yet was still regularly seen at the ballpark in his private suite. McCovey had attended games at AT&T Park as recently as the season finale.“I love him so much. It’s a very sad day for me. We were very close http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey ,” Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda said in a telephone interview. “Willie McCovey was not only a great ballplayer but a great teammate. He didn’t have any fear. He never complained.“I remember one time in 1960 they sent him down to the minor leagues after being Rookie of the Year the year before. He didn’t complain. He was very polite, he was very quiet. He was a great man, a great friend. I’m going to miss him so much. He didn’t say a bad word about anybody.”While the Giants captured their third World Series title of the decade in 2014, McCovey returned to watch them play while still recovering from an infection that hospitalized him that September for about a month.He attended one game at AT&T Park during both the NL Championship Series and World Series. He even waited for the team at the end of the parade route inside San Francisco’s Civic Center.“It was touch and go for a while,” McCovey said at the time. “They pulled me through, and I’ve come a long way.”McCovey had been thrilled the Giants accomplished something he didn’t during a decorated career in the major leagues.Even four-plus decades later, it still stung for the left-handed slugging “Big Mac” that he never won a World Series after coming so close. The Giants lost the 1962 World Series to the New York Yankees.He often thought about that World Series, and it remained difficult to accept. The Giants lost 1-0 in Game 7 when McCovey lined out to second baseman Bobby Richardson with runners on second and third for the final out.“I still think about it all the time. I still think, ‘If I could have hit it a little more,'” he said on Oct. 31, 2014.In 2012, he said: “I think about the line drive Bartolo Colon Jersey , yes. Can’t get away from it.”McCovey narrowly beat out Mets pitcher Tom Seaver for the 1969 MVP award. McCovey led the NL in home runs (45) and RBIs (126) for the second straight year, batting .320 while also posting NL bests with a .453 on-base percentage and .656 slugging percentage. He was walked 121 times, then drew a career-high 137 free passes the next season.He had been third in the ’68 voting for NL MVP, but after 1969 would never again finish higher than ninth.McCovey and Ted Williams before him were among the first players to really face infield shifts as opponents tried to affect his rhythm at the plate.On Wednesday night, former teammate Felipe Alou recalled inviting McCovey to play winter ball with him in 1958 for Escogido in Alou’s native Dominican Republic.McCovey got homesick, so a still-single Alou moved out of his parents’ home and into an apartment with his dear friend and teammate. They were roommates in the minors and majors, too. McCovey called Alou “Rojas,” his father’s last name. Alou called him “Willie Lee,” McCovey’s middle name.“We had a great relationship. Incredible friend and player and individual,” Alou said. “I have so many good memories.”McCovey was born on Jan. 10, 1938, in Mobile Jon Niese Jersey , Alabama. He had spent the last 18 years in a senior advisory role for the Giants.“ LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers recent tendency to score late and win often will probably have to continue Monday, whether they want to operate that way or not.The reason is they are facing New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom, who is putting together an historic season despite being on one of the worst teams in the majors. The Dodgers took nine days to erase a 4 1/2-game deficit in the National League West by using their late-inning rally strategy to perfection.Article continues below ...Matt Kemp moved the Dodgers into sole possession of first place in the NL West with a game-ending two-run double off Brad Boxberger to give Los Angeles a 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday. Los Angeles moved into a tie atop the division Saturday when Kemp hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning. The Dodgers won Friday on late home runs from Enrique Hernandez and Justin Turner.“It’s the coaches, the players and just the hyper-focus on each day,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Sunday’s victory. It’s hard to not scoreboard watch and feel that 4 1/2 (games) is not a big number to (overcome). Our goal each day was to just play good baseball.”In order to stay in front in the NL West on their own terms, though, the Dodgers will have to get through deGrom. The right-hander is on a march to possibly win the National League Cy Young Award, even if his 8-8 record seems to suggest otherwise. He will enter with a 1.68 ERA, the third best since 1968.A pair of Mets records could belong to deGrom exclusively by the time Monday’s game ends. He currently has 24 consecutive starts of three earned runs or less, tied with Dwight Gooden (1985) for the longest run in franchise history. His 19 consecutive quality starts are also tied for the most in team history.“He continues to do the job,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said, according to mlb.com. “He’s just an all-around player Edinson Volquez Jersey , and the best pitcher in baseball at this point.”The Dodgers can hang their optimism on the fact that the Mets are somehow just 11-16 in games deGrom has started. They can also feel good about their eight victories over their past nine games, as they aim for their sixth consecutive NL West title.At 61-75, the Mets are out of contention in the NL East, but deGrom still has plenty to pitch for. His main competition for a Cy Young Award appears to come from the Nationals’ Max Scherzer, the Rockies’ Kyle Freeland and the Phillies’ Aaron Nola.The competition at present, though, is a Dodgers offense that has surged thanks to hot bats from Manny Machado (nine home runs in 41 games with the Dodgers) and Justin Turner (.402 batting average, 1.213 OPS in August).The Dodgers will call on Alex Wood to start opposite deGrom. The left-hander has worked his way through nagging leg injuries this season but has still managed to post an 8-6 record with a 3.42 ERA.Formerly a member of the NL East when he pitched for the Atlanta Braves, Wood knows the Mets well having made nine starts against them in his six seasons. Wood is 1-3 against New York with a 3.83 ERA.In seven starts against the Dodgers in his career, deGrom still does not have a victory over the West Coast foe. He has a 3.43 ERA against them over 44 2/3 innings.