Pittsburgh Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski has died. He was 89. The eight-time Gold Glove winner, popularly known as Maz, was remembered by Pirates owner Bob Nutting as humble, gracious, and proud. He was well-known for his historic walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.
Mazeroski died Friday, the Pirates said. Bob Nutting said, “Maz was one of a kind, a true Pirates legend. … His name will always be tied to the biggest home run in baseball history and the 1960 World Series championship, but I will remember him most for the person he was: humble, gracious, and proud to be a Pirate.”
The 10-time MLB All-Star and two-time World Series champion is survived by his two sons, Darren and Dave, and four grandchildren. His wife, Milene Mazeroski, died May 19, 2024.
Bill Mazeroski cause of death
While no official cause of death was revealed, some details emerged on Saturday. It was reported that Mazeroski’s death was due to natural complications associated with his advanced age.
Mazeroski, the Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman, was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2001. He was celebrated more for his defense than his offense. His plaque describes him as a “defensive wizard” with “hard-nosed hustle” and a “quiet work ethic.”
He turned a major league record 1,706 double plays, led the National League in assists nine times, and was cited by statistician Bill James as the greatest defensive second baseman in history.
By traditional measures, Mazeroski was no superstar. He hit .260 lifetime with 138 home runs and 27 stolen bases over 17 years, posted a .299 on-base percentage, never batted .300, and only once finished in the top 10 for Most Valuable Player. He never reached 100 RBIs or 100 runs scored in a season.
“I think defense belongs in the Hall of Fame,” Mazeroski said during his induction speech. “Defense deserves as much credit as pitching and I’m proud to be going in as a defensive player.”
His defining moment came in the batter’s box during Game 7 of the 1960 World Series against the New York Yankees. Pittsburgh, facing the Yankees for the first time since 1927, trailed 9-8 entering the bottom of the ninth. With Ralph Terry on the mound, Mazeroski stepped up and hit a slider that didn’t slide. The ball soared over the left-field wall at Forbes Field, giving the Pirates a 10-9 victory and their first championship in 33 years.
The home run ended the World Series on a walk-off hit for the first time in history. Mazeroski raced around the bases, waving his cap as fans stormed the field to join his teammates at home plate. He later told The New York Times in 1985: “I was just looking to get on base. Nothing fancy, just looking for a fastball until he got a strike on me. I thought it would be off the wall, and I wanted to make third if the ball ricocheted away from Berra. But when I got around first and was digging for second, I saw the umpire waving circles above his head and I knew it was over.”
Mazeroski spent his entire career with the Pirates, retiring after 1972. He coached briefly for Pittsburgh and Seattle and served as an infield instructor during spring training. In 1987, the Pirates retired his No. 9. The 50th anniversary of his Game 7 home run was marked in 2010 with the unveiling of a 14-foot statue of him rounding the bases on Bill Mazeroski Way near the site of old Forbes Field.
Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, during the Great Depression, Mazeroski grew up in eastern Ohio in a one-room house without electricity or indoor plumbing. His father, Louis, a coal miner who had hoped to play professionally, encouraged his son’s love of sports by throwing tennis balls against a brick wall for him to field. Though a standout in basketball and football, Mazeroski chose baseball and was signed by the Pirates at 17 in 1954. Originally a shortstop, he switched to second base by his rookie year in 1956.
He married Milene Nicholson, a Pirates front-office employee he met through manager Danny Murtaugh, in 1958.
(With AP inputs)
