It was announced early Thursday morning that baseball icon & legend Rusty Staub died. The Mets’ “hitting icon” passed away at 73-Years-Old.
NY Daily News reports that Staub was dealing with many health problems in recent years. For example, In October 2015, he had a heart attack that was near fatal. Then his kidneys had shut down.
Now, sadly, he has died. On Thursday morning at 12:30 a.m. Staub passed away at the Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. The cause of death was reportedly due to multiple organ failures.
Staub will be long remembered by New York Mets baseball fans. His lifetime achievements in the sport include a .279 average with 2,716 hits, 292 homers, and 499 doubles. Additionally, he held a major league record-tying 25 pinch-hit RBI over 23 seasons and 2,951 games.
His baseball career brought him to Houston, the Montreal Expos, Mets, Detroit Tigers, and the Texas Rangers from 1963 to 1985. In 1983, Staub tied with one other person to become the only people in history with eight consecutive pinch hits.
Staub is also the only player in major league history to have 500 hits with four separate teams. He is also one of only four players in major league history to hit a home run before the age of 20 and after the age of 40.
Beyond his athletic achievements, Staub was known for being a humanitarian. He created the Rusty Staub Foundation which established the New York Police and Fire Widows and Children’s Benefit Fund. He also partnered with Catholic Charities to donate 9,043,741 meals over the last ten years to food pantries around New York.
After a lifetime of achievements and giving back, Staub has now passed away. He had spent the last eight weeks in the hospital. He was originally admitted with pneumonia and dehydration, but his organ function quickly began to decline.
The baseball legend would have been 74 on Sunday. Please pray for his family and friends during this difficult time as they deal with their grief. Share your prayers here.
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