In his retirement ceremony, then-Major League Commissioner Ford Frick referred to Musial as “baseball’s perfect warrior, baseball’s perfect knight.” He also stood out for his grace and sportsmanship – having never been ejected once by an umpire. He has since been surpassed in some of those categories, but he still ranks fourth in baseball history in total hits, behind only Pete Rose, Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron. 331 career batting average and as the National League’s career leader in RBI, games played, runs scored, hits and doubles. Cox/Getty ImagesĪfter the 1963 season, Musial retired with a. Stan Musial waves to fans during the 2012 National League Championship Series. The only blip came in 1945, in the thick of World War II, when he left baseball to join the U.S. Louis – and earned three National League Most Valuable Player awards as well as three World Series titles. 300 17 times during his 22-year career – all played with St.

The left-hander had a batting average above. The Pennsylvania-born Musial transitioned from a lackluster pitcher to a stellar slugging outfielder, according to his biography on the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s website. “Stan Musial was the greatest player in Cardinals history and one of the best players in the history of baseball.” “We have lost the most beloved member of the Cardinals family,” said William DeWitt Jr., the club’s chairman. According to a post on his Twitter page, which is maintained by his grandson Brian Musial Schwarze, Musial died at 5:45 p.m. Musial died at his Ladue, Missouri, home surrounded by family, the Cardinals said in a statement. Stanley Frank Musial made a name for himself as one of baseball’s best hitters of all time on the field, as well as one of its greatest, most dignified ambassadors off it.Īnd now “Stan the Man” is gone. He died Saturday evening of natural causes, his grandson saysīaseball commissioner, players, fans recall Musial as a great athlete and man He retired in 1963 as, statistically, one of the best hitters in baseball history Musial played 22 years in the Major League, all with the St.

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