R.I.P. Tim McCarver
Former Montreal Expos catcher and Hall of Fame broadcaster Tim McCarver has died. He was 81.
February 16, 2023
By Danny Gallagher
Canadian Baseball Network
Tim McCarver, a veteran catcher and broadcaster, who spent part of the 1972 season behind the plate with the Expos, died today.
His death was first announced by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which said McCarver passed away from heart failure. He was 81.
McCarver played in the majors in part of four decades from 1959 to 1980, including a long tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals. He appeared in 1,909 games, batting .271 with 97 homers and 645 RBI.
On June 15, 1972, McCarver, then 30, was acquired by the Expos from the Philadelphia Phillies for fellow catcher John Bateman.
In 77 games that season with the Expos, while splitting time with John Boccabella and Terry Humphrey, McCarver batted .251 with five homers and 20 RBIs. He had 60 hits in 239 at-bats.
McCarver's tenure with Montreal was a short one. He was traded to St. Louis for Jorge Roque on Nov. 6, 1972.
When McCarver was honored with the Ford C. Frick award in 2012 at Cooperstown he spoke of how patriotic and excited Canadian fans were. Someone asked about the Expos way back then? “No, about Canada playing Russia in the Summit Series. I was there was in the midst of it. That was excitement … from coast to coast.”
McCarver worked many World Series telecasts on ABC, CBS & FOX .After being an all-star catcher, McCarver moved upstairs to the broadcast booth calling Phillies games from 1980-82.
Next, he moved to the New York Mets from 1983-98 as he gained status which placed him above other broadcaster when it came to insight. During that time, he moved to ABC;s Monday Night Baseball and made his debut on World Series broadcasts in 1985. He moved to the New York Yankees broadcasts in 1999 and the San Francisco Giants in 2002, while working national games for CBS (1990-93) and The Baseball Network (1994-95).. After leaving FOX he worked roughly 30 games a year for the Cardinals.