FORMER ASTRO–HALL OF FAMER–JOE MORGAN DEAD AT 77
Houston Astros
Former Houston Astro and Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan has died at age 77.
Morgan, most known as a member of Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine of the 1970’s, totaled 2,517 career hits with 268 home runs, 1,133 RBI's and scored 1650 runs.
He was a 10-time All-Star, a 2-time National League MVP, a 5-time Gold Glove Winner, and a 2-time World Series Champion.
He began his career in 1963 with the then-Houston Colt 45’s. After the 1971 season he was traded to the Reds as part of an eight-player blockbuster deal.
Morgan was a key part of the Big Red Machine that won back-to-back World Series in 1975-76. Morgan was the leadoff hitter for a lineup that included the likes of: Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Ken Griffey, George Foster and Dave Conception.
Joe Morgan (Row two, second from left)
After his retirement he became a long-time broadcaster for ESPN.
In 1990, Morgan was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot with 81.8% of the vote.
Morgan, who suffered from complications from Lukemia, is the fifth Hall-of-Famer to die in the past two months, including: Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and, most recently, Whitey Ford.