Tim McCarver, former Cardinals All-Star and Hall of Fame broadcaster, dies at 81 – The Denver Post

Tim McCarver, who broadcast 23 World Series during his Hall of Fame career as a baseball analyst, has died at age 81.

The Hall of Fame said in a statement that McCarver died Thursday morning in his hometown of Memphis.

Before successfully transitioning to a career in the broadcast booth — including 16 seasons with the Mets in the 1980s and ‘90s — McCarver was a two-time All-Star catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals during a playing career that stretched over two decades and four franchises.

But it was his work as a broadcaster that led the Memphis native to Cooperstown. McCarver was honored by the Hall of Fame in 2012 with the Ford C. Frick Award awarded annually to a broadcaster for “major contributions to baseball.”

“I think there is a natural bridge from being a catcher to talking about the view of the game and the view of the other players,” McCarver during his acceptance speech in Cooperstown on July 21, 2012. “It is translating that for the viewers.”

McCarver, who signed with the Cardinals out of high school, caught every inning of the 1964 World Series as St. Louis beat the Yankees in seven games. He belted a three-run homer in the 10th inning of Game 5 at Yankee Stadium in a 5-2 win. McCarver won a second championship as a player with the 1967 edition of the Redbirds in a season in which he finished second in the MVP race behind teammate Orlando Cepeda.

McCarver, whose best season came in ‘67 when he hit .295 with 14 home runs, finished with a career .271 batting average in 1,909 games with the Cardinals, Phillies, Red Sox and Expos.

But when it comes to the World Series, McCarver became best known for his work behind a microphone. He called his first Fall Classic in 1985 with ABC and then made the move to Fox Sports in 1996 when the network acquired the main MLB package. He stayed with Fox through the 2013 season and called a total of 23 World Series.

He teamed up with play-by-play voice Joe Buck to call the World Series 18 times.

“Thirty-four years ago, my obligation shifted from the field and the players to the booth and to you the viewers,” McCarver said on Fox as he signed off following the 2013 World Series. “Fairness and accuracy and honesty have always been my goals, along with teaching you something you may not have known about this great game.

“I hope I’ve achieved those things. Thank you very much.”

He also worked 20 All-Star Games.

McCarver also called games for the Phillies (1980-82), Mets (1983-98), Yankees (1999) and Giants (2002). In all, McCarver spent 60 years in baseball.

“We are saddened to learn of the passing today of Tim McCarver, who for 16 years in the television booth gave Mets fans an insightful, humorous and knowledgeable behind the scenes look into the game of baseball,” the Mets said in a statement. “Tim drew on his 21-year career as a catcher to give viewers a unique opinion on what went on between the lines.

“We send our condolences to his daughters, Kathy and Kelley, and the rest of the McCarver family.”

In addition to ABC and Fox, McCarver called national games for CBS and The Baseball Network.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who also had a stint in the broadcast booth after his playing days, called McCarver “this generation’s great baseball analyst.”

“Just an awesome ambassador, loved the game and certainly leaves a legacy that will be missed.”

With News Wire Services

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