Cardinals legend Lou Brock passed away Sunday at a local hospital at the age of 81. Brock had been in bad health for quite some time, but will be remembered for his many accomplishments, on and off the field.
In a 19-year major league career, Brock played in 2,616 games and accumulated 3,023 hits in 10,332 at bats for a .293 career batting average along with 486 doubles, 141 triples, 149 home runs, 900 RBI, 1,610 runs , 938 stolen bases, 761 bases on balls, a .343 on-base percentage, and a .410 slugging percentage. His 938 stolen bases in 1245 attempts was the National League’s all-time leader and second behind Rickey Henderson in Major League Baseball history.
Brock was a six-time All-Star and won two World Series rings with the Cardinals, and very often coming up big for St. Louis in the postseason. Over 92 career World Series plate appearances, Brock hit a whopping .391/.424/.655 with four homers (while also going 14-for-16 on stolen base attempts). He was also a first-ballot electee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown in 1985.
Brock was always known as one of the toughest baseball players that his former teammates had ever seen. That reputation was way before he encountered diabetes, which was the of his left leg to be amputated, multiple myeloma (bone cancer), before he suffered a stroke, and before he suffered a heart ailment.
I was a Cardinal fan in my youth and Lou Brock was one of my favorite players. He brought amazing excitement to the game. Many Cardinal fans, former teammates and former players are mourning the passing of a great player and man. He will be missed and RIP Lou Brock.
