Paying Tribute To Tim McCarver, An MLB Catching Legend
Today we remember Tim McCarver, a 21-year Major League catcher, World Series champion, and a franchise cornerstone for the Cardinals and Phillies.
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . Tim McCarver is one of just 31 MLB players ever to appear in a game in four different decades. The most recent player to do so was fellow former Phillie Jamie Moyer, whose career began in 1986 and ended in 2012. No players whose careers began in the 1990s are still active, so the next four-decade player might be a while away from appearing.
. . . McCarver was in the booth for one of the most memorable on-air broadcasting moments in MLB history. In 1989, he was about to broadcast Game 3 of the World Series with Al Michaels and Jim Palmer when an earthquake stuck San Francisco, which Michaels announced on the air.
Leading Off
Remembering Tim McCarver
By Matthew Veasey
Tim McCarver, a rare four-decade big league player who went on to become one of baseball’s most popular, honored, and respected television broadcast analysts, passed away just over two months ago at age 81. Let’s take a look back at his fascinating career.
McCarver first signed with the St. Louis Cardinals out of high school in June 1959. Three months later he made his big league debut, receiving an eight-game cup of coffee with a Cardinals ballclub that was struggling to a seventh-place finish.
Within a few years, St. Louis emerged as a contender in the National League and McCarver grew to become the team’s regular catcher. He was a key starter on teams that won three NL pennants during the 1960s and captured World Series championships in 1964 and 1967.
In 1965, a 20-year-old southpaw pitcher named Steve Carlton made his own big league debut in St. Louis. McCarver and Carlton quickly established a friendship that extended to their later years together in Philadelphia and throughout the rest of his life.
In October 1969, McCarver was part of what became one of the most important trades in MLB history. In that deal, the Cardinals sent a package of the 28-year-old, two-time NL All-Star with three-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove center fielder Curt Flood, outfielder Byron Browne, and pitcher Joe Hoerner. The return was led by multi-time All-Star and 1964 NL Rookie of the Year Dick Allen (then known as “Richie”), and also included second baseman Cookie Rojas and young pitcher Jerry Johnson.
At the start of May 1970, McCarver suffered a broken finger during a game at San Francisco. In a freak coincidence, two batters later his backup, Mike Ryan, also suffered a broken finger on a play at the plate. Ryan returned in July and took the starting job until McCarver himself returned in September.
McCarver was the Phillies’ starting catcher in 1971 and 1972 as the franchise opened Veterans Stadium in South Philadelphia. Just prior to spring training for that 1972 campaign he was reunited with Carlton when the 27-year-old southpaw was obtained from St. Louis in a trade for righty starter Rick Wise.
The Carlton-McCarver reunion only lasted for a few months. In mid-June, McCarver was dealt to the Montreal Expos for catcher John Bateman. McCarver became the starting catcher for the Expos, who also played him in left field for 14 games. It was the first time that he played anywhere other than behind the plate in his MLB career.
After that 1972 season, St. Louis re-acquired McCarver from Montreal for prospect outfielder Jorge Roque. McCarver played in 130 games in 1973 with the Cardinals, serving as a backup at catcher and first base to future Hall of Famers Ted Simmons and Joe Torre.
After being used almost exclusively as a pinch-hitter by Cardinals Hall of Fame skipper Red Schoendienst in 1974, McCarver had his contract purchased by the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 1. The Bosox won the American League pennant the following year, but McCarver wasn’t around to enjoy it. Released on June 23, he signed back with the Phillies a week later.
As the Phillies rose to become contenders and then won three straight NL East crowns, McCarver became a key contributor as both a pinch-hitter and as Carlton’s “personal caddy,” catching most of the left-hander’s starts.
As his playing career wound down, McCarver’s keen insight and conversational style were put to use in the club’s broadcast booth. He joined Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn, Andy Musser, and Chris Wheeler as an analyst on radio and TV broadcasts. McCarver also hosted “Race for the Pennant,” a baseball program featured on the fledgling HBO cable network. In November 1979, the Phillies released McCarver, apparently bringing his playing career to an end at age 38.
And then, somewhat unexpectedly, 10 months later he was back on the field. With the Phillies taking part in what became a down-to-the-wire divisional race, McCarver was signed on Sept. 1, 1980, to return as a player. He serves as a veteran voice in the clubhouse, a lefty pinch-hit bat, and emergency insurance at first base and catcher. Having already appeared in September 1959 and then through the 1960s and 1970s, his six appearances in September 1980 made him a four-decade player.
McCarver’s final hit came in his final game. It was the day after the Phillies had clinched the division with a dramatic extra-innings victory at Montreal. In that final game of the regular season, McCarver lashed a two-out, two-run double off Steve Ratzer to put the Phillies up 4-2 in a game they eventually lost 8-7. He was not on the postseason roster as the Phillies went on to win the first World Series title in franchise history. Instead, he joined the broadcast team in the radio booth for that postseason run.
Over the course of his playing career, McCarver appeared with four organizations: St. Louis for 12 years, Philadelphia for nine, Boston for two, and part of one season with Montreal. He amassed 1,501 hits and had a career .271 average over 6,206 plate appearances. He was an NL All-Star in both 1966 and 1967, leading the Majors in triples with 13 during that 1966 campaign.
Over the next four decades, McCarver became one of baseball’s most respected analysts, broadcasting games for all three major networks at various times. He also worked two different Olympic Games broadcasts. And during that time, he periodically worked as an analyst for the New York Mets as well as the Cardinals and Phillies.
Retiring from his full-time national broadcasting career after the 2013 season, McCarver appeared on a few dozen Cardinals broadcasts each year through 2019. He sat out the 2020 season due to the COVID pandemic, and then finally announced last April that he had fully retired from broadcasting.
In 2012, McCarver was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame broadcasting wing as the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award. He was also a three-time Emmy Award winner as Outstanding Sports Event Analyst.
McCarver was married to his high school sweetheart, the former Anne McDaniel, since 1964. The couple has two grown children, Kathy and Kelly. He will be remembered by younger fans as a respected veteran analyst. To those who got to see him play here in Philly, McCarver will also be remembered as a solid role player for the winning Phillies teams of the late-1970s. May he rest in peace.
Matt Veasey is the voice behind @PhilliesBell on Twitter, the most interactive Philadelphia Phillies news and history social media account on the Internet. His email is matthew.veasey@verizon.net
Nice portrait. Being in New York and a Met fan we heard Tim McCarver for years and I will always remember him saying 'Speed slows down the game'. This was a reference to the constant throws over to 1st base particularly when the Mets were playing Whitey Herzog's Cardinals. The new rules on throws to 1st directly counter that!