Joe Morgan, second Cincinnati Reds base player who turned 1970’s ‘Big Red Machine’, dies at 77

Morgan died at his home in Danville, California, a suburb of San Francisco, on Sunday, according to a family spokesperson.

“The Reds are sad,” said Reds chief executive Bob Castellini in a statement. “Joe was a giant in the game and loved by the fans in this city.”

The Oakland native was named National League Player of the Year in 1975 and 1976, and led Cincinnati to World Championship titles in both seasons.

It was Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990, After a 22-season career with the Houston Colt .45, Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Oakland A.

The All-Star 10-time pick was an all-out attacking powerhouse, hitting 268 home games and stealing 689 bases. He also had a keen eye for the painting, forcing shooters to walk with him 1,865 times, boosting his career on a percentage basis to 0.392.

Morgan was also a bewitching defender, winning five Gold Glove Awards for Best Player in League Two.

The Cincinnati “Big Red Machine” squad was filled with fearsome hitters Morgan, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and George Foster, and defensive stars such as Dave Concepcion and Cesar Geronimo.

The 1975 World Championships is famous for the Carlton Fisk home run away from the left pole that won the sixth match of the Boston Red Sox. An NBC camera captured heavily Fisk waving his arms, Beg the ball to keep fair.

But it was Morgan who dealt the decisive blow to win the championship, with a solo victory by RBI in the ninth game to break a 3-3 tie in match 7. That scoring Hit brought team-mate Ken Grive, the father Recruiter for a future Hall of Fame Ken Griffey Jr.

Morgan’s death comes less than a week later Death of the Hall of Fame New York Yankees pitcher White Ford at the age of 91.

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