Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan dies at 77
Joe Morgan, the Hall of Fame second baseman who spent the prime of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, has died, USA Today reported Monday. He was 77.
Morgan is one of the game's all-time great players, earning two MVP awards, 10 All-Star trips, and five Gold Gloves. He was a key piece of Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" teams alongside Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Tony Perez, and Ken Griffey, Sr, and together the group won back to back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976.
Originally signed by the then-Houston Colt .45s (since renamed the Astros) in 1962, Morgan was a solid hitter early in his career with the franchise, but he took his game to another level when he was traded to the Reds before the 1972 season.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Morgan's career .271 batting average doesn't immediately jump off the page, but he got on-base at a .392 clip and led the league in walks and on-base percentage four times each. And once he was on, he was a premier threat, stealing at least 58 bases five years in a row between 1972-76.
After his career, Morgan spent many years as a broadcaster, teaming with play-by-play announcer Jon Miller for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball for two decades between 1990-2010.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 4, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - reflections in the pond, riding shotgun, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppy
Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?
Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
By The Week Staff Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
South Carolina ends perfect season with NCAA title
Speed Read The women's basketball team won a victory over superstar Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Iowa's Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA scoring record
speed read College basketball star Caitlin Clark set the new record in Iowa's defeat of Ohio State
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Eight-year-old Brit Bodhana Sivanandan makes chess history
Speed Read Sivanandan has been described as a 'phenomenon' by chess masters
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Watch Simone Biles win her record 8th US gymnastics championship
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Spain beats England 1-0 to win its first Women's World Cup
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
US knocked out of Women's World Cup in stunning exit
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Katie Ledecky surpasses Michael Phelps for most world championship titles
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published