San Francisco Giants legend Orlando Cepeda hospitalized after fall
San Francisco Giants legend Orlando Cepeda was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday morning after falling at his gym.
Former San Francisco Giants outfielder and Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda was rushed to the hospital following a fall in the parking lot of his gym. He had suffered a severe blow to the head as a result of the fall, and was said to be in a “delicate state” as of Monday morning.
The Hall of Fame first baseman and outfielder became a star with the Giants. He won the 1958 National League Rookie of the Year award, and finished ninth in the MVP vote. That year, he produced a solid .312/.342/.512 batting line, hitting 25 homers and driving in 96 runs while leading the league with 38 doubles. A star had been born out in San Francisco.
Cepeda continued to be a star during the early part of the 1960s, making six All Star Games and finishing second in the 1961 NL MVP vote. That year, he led the league with 46 homers and 142 RBI, solidifying his place as one of the premier power hitters in the game at the time.
The problem was, the Giants also had a very similar player to Cepeda in Willie McCovey. McCovey was also a natural first baseman, forced to play the outfield because of Cepeda’s presence. San Francisco also had a plethora of outfielders coming up. As such, following an injury plagued 1965 campaign, Cepeda was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1966 campaign, with Ray Sadecki heading out west.
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That trade rejuvenated Cepeda’s career. He finished the year strong in St. Louis, and returned with a vengeance in 1967. Playing for the eventual World Champions, Cepeda made his seventh and final All Star Game, and won the MVP award. He produced a .325/.399/.524 batting line, hitting 25 homers and leading the league with 111 RBI as he took home every first place vote.
Cepeda spent one more year in St. Louis before being traded to the Braves for the 1969 campaign. After three and a half years there, he moved on to Oakland, traded for the faded Denny McLain. Cepeda then spent a year with both the Red Sox and the Royals before retiring after the 1974 campaign.
Over his 17 seasons, Cepeda put together a .297/.350/.499 batting line, hitting over .300 nine times. He had 12 seasons of 20 or more homers, hitting 379 home runs over the course of his career. Cepeda was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999, the second player from Puerto Rico, following Roberto Clemente, to receive the honor.
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San Francisco Giants legend Orlando Cepeda was hospitalized after a fall at his gym, suffering from a severe head injury. Our thoughts are with him and his family.