Hall-of-Fame second baseman Joe Morgan, a key piece in the Cincinnati Reds’ fabled Big Red Machine of the 1970s, died on Sunday at the age of 77, according to The Associated Press.
Morgan, who was the color analyst on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball from 1990 until 2010, was suffering from a nerve condition.
A two-time National League MVP, Morgan was a 10-time All-Star and won five Gold Gloves. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990 and retired with a .271 lifetime batting average, 2,517 hits, 1,133 RBI and 1,865 walks. He won the World Series twice with Cincinnati and played in the majors for 22 seasons.
“Joe wasn’t just the best second baseman in baseball history, he was the best player I ever saw and one of the best people I’ve ever known,” Hall of Fame catcher and Reds teammate Johnny Bench said in a statement via the Morgan family. “He was a dedicated father and husband and a day won’t go by that I won’t think about his wisdom and friendship. He left the world a better, fairer, and more equal place than he found it, and inspired millions along the way.”
Morgan is the sixth baseball Hall of Famer to die this year, and the fifth in just five weeks, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
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