Willie McCovey

San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, December 17, 2020

1. Willie McCovey Marker

His stunning 4 for 4 rookie debut off Robin Roberts (Seals Stadium, July 30, 1959) signaled landmark 22-year career, all but three with Giants. "Stretch” led NL in Home Runs in 1963 (44), 1968 (36) and 1969 (45), and RBI in 1968 (105) and 1969 (126). He set an NL record for Grand Slams (17). He holds S.F. Giants records for Seasons Played (19), Most Games Career (2,256).

 
Erected 2008.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Sports. In addition, it is included in the Baseball Hall of Famers, and the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is July 30, 1959.
 
Location. 37° 46.755′ N, 122° 23.393′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in South Beach. It is on King Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: San Francisco CA 94107, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on California’s Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.

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"Willie Lee McCovey (January 10, 1938 – October 31, 2018), nicknamed "Stretch," "Mac," and "Willie Mac," was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1959 to 1980, most notably as a member of the San Francisco Giants for whom he played for 19 seasons. McCovey also played for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics in the latter part of his MLB career.

A fearsome left-handed power hitter, at the time of his retirement in 1980, McCovey ranked second only to Babe Ruth in career home runs among left-handed batters, and seventh overall. As of 2020, he ranks 20th overall on baseball's all-time home run list. He was a six-time All-Star, three-time home run champion, MVP, and was

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, December 17, 2020

2. Willie McCovey Marker

McCovey's marker is the rightmost in the bottom row.

inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 in his first year of eligibility, only the 16th man so honored, at the time....McCovey hit 521 home runs, 231 of them in Candlestick Park, the most in that park by any player. A home run he hit on September 16, 1966, was described as the longest ever hit in that stadium."