Twins' Hall of Famer Killebrew dies
Source: Agencies |
May 19, 2011, Thursday
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HARMON Killebrew, one of Major League Baseball's greatest sluggers, died on Tuesday after battling esophageal cancer.
He was aged 74 and passed away at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, just four days after he announced that he was losing his fight with the disease and was close to death.
Killebrew had said doctors told him the cancer was incurable and that he had stopped taking medication because he wanted to spend his final days in hospice care. "I have exhausted all options with respect to controlling this awful disease," he said last week. His death came swiftly and peacefully, with his wife Nita and other members of their family by his side.
Killebrew was an 11-times All-Star whose 573 career home runs are the 11th most in MLB. He was nicknamed "Killer" because of his deadly prowess with the bat, a moniker which belied his soft-spoken demeanor off the field.
Killebrew signed with the former Washington Senators, who moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins. He remained with the organization until playing his final year with the Kansas City Royals in 1975. A powerful hitter who was second only to Babe Ruth for American League home runs when he retired, was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1969 after a season where he recorded a career-best 140 RBIs, 49 home runs and a .276 batting average while playing in all 162 of Minnesota's games that year.
He was aged 74 and passed away at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, just four days after he announced that he was losing his fight with the disease and was close to death.
Killebrew had said doctors told him the cancer was incurable and that he had stopped taking medication because he wanted to spend his final days in hospice care. "I have exhausted all options with respect to controlling this awful disease," he said last week. His death came swiftly and peacefully, with his wife Nita and other members of their family by his side.
Killebrew was an 11-times All-Star whose 573 career home runs are the 11th most in MLB. He was nicknamed "Killer" because of his deadly prowess with the bat, a moniker which belied his soft-spoken demeanor off the field.
Killebrew signed with the former Washington Senators, who moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins. He remained with the organization until playing his final year with the Kansas City Royals in 1975. A powerful hitter who was second only to Babe Ruth for American League home runs when he retired, was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1969 after a season where he recorded a career-best 140 RBIs, 49 home runs and a .276 batting average while playing in all 162 of Minnesota's games that year.
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