Willie McCovey was born on Monday, January 10, 1938, in Mobile, Alabama. McCovey was 21 years old when he broke into the big leagues on July 30, 1959, with the San Francisco Giants. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Willie McCovey baseball stats page.
"This is the question I posed to Willie McCovey: You're the manager of the other team in a tie game with two outs and nobody on in the ninth. The batter is Willie McCovey, now... before I could finish, Willie broke in, 'I'd walk him.' Then he laughed. It's really no laughing matter to the San Francisco Giants' slugging first baseman, however. Because a lot of other managers would do the same thing." - Markus, Robert. Sportswriter. Baseball Digest: Willie McCovey - Baseball's Most Feared Batter. June 1971. Page 32.
Willie McCovey![]() Willie 'Stretch' McCovey Autograph on a 1970 Topps Baseball Card (#250 | Checklist) |
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Willie McCoveyWillie McCovey Pitching Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
| - | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
Willie McCoveyWillie McCovey Hitting Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1959 | 21 | Giants | 52 | 192 | 32 | 68 | 9 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 38 | 22 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | .354 | .429 | .656 |
| 1960 | 22 | Giants | 101 | 260 | 37 | 62 | 15 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 51 | 45 | 4 | 53 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .238 | .349 | .469 |
| 1961 | 23 | Giants | 106 | 328 | 59 | 89 | 12 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 50 | 37 | 3 | 60 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8 | .271 | .350 | .491 |
| 1962 | 24 | Giants | 91 | 229 | 41 | 67 | 6 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 54 | 29 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | .293 | .368 | .590 |
| 1963 | 25 | Giants | 152 | 564 | 103 | 158 | 19 | 5 | 44 | 0 | 102 | 50 | 5 | 119 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 10 | .280 | .350 | .566 |
| 1964 | 26 | Giants | 130 | 364 | 55 | 80 | 14 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 54 | 61 | 5 | 73 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | .220 | .336 | .412 |
| 1965 | 27 | Giants | 160 | 540 | 93 | 149 | 17 | 4 | 39 | 1 | 92 | 88 | 5 | 118 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | .276 | .381 | .539 |
| 1966 | 28 | Giants | 150 | 502 | 85 | 148 | 26 | 6 | 36 | 1 | 96 | 76 | 10 | 100 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 8 | .295 | .391 | .586 |
| 1967 | 29 | Giants | 135 | 456 | 73 | 126 | 17 | 4 | 31 | 3 | 91 | 71 | 17 | 110 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | .276 | .378 | .535 |
| 1968 | 30 | Giants | 148 | 523 | 81 | 153 | 16 | 4 | 36 | 1 | 105 | 72 | 20 | 71 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 10 | .293 | .378 | .545 |
| 1969 | 31 | Giants | 149 | 491 | 101 | 157 | 26 | 2 | 45 | 2 | 126 | 121 | 45 | 66 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 11 | .320 | .453 | .656 |
| 1970 | 32 | Giants | 152 | 495 | 98 | 143 | 39 | 2 | 39 | 2 | 126 | 137 | 40 | 75 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 | .289 | .444 | .612 |
| 1971 | 33 | Giants | 105 | 329 | 45 | 91 | 13 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 70 | 64 | 21 | 57 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 6 | .277 | .396 | .480 |
| 1972 | 34 | Giants | 81 | 263 | 30 | 56 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 35 | 38 | 5 | 45 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | .213 | .316 | .403 |
| 1973 | 35 | Giants | 130 | 383 | 52 | 102 | 14 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 75 | 105 | 25 | 78 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 6 | .266 | .420 | .546 |
| 1974 | 36 | Padres | 128 | 344 | 53 | 87 | 19 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 63 | 96 | 9 | 76 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | .253 | .416 | .506 |
| 1975 | 37 | Padres | 122 | 413 | 43 | 104 | 17 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 68 | 57 | 8 | 80 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | .252 | .345 | .460 |
| 1976 | 38 | Padres | 71 | 202 | 20 | 41 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 36 | 21 | 7 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .203 | .281 | .351 |
| 1976 | 38 | Athletics | 11 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .208 | .296 | .208 |
| 1977 | 39 | Giants | 141 | 478 | 54 | 134 | 21 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 86 | 67 | 16 | 106 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | .280 | .367 | .500 |
| 1978 | 40 | Giants | 108 | 351 | 32 | 80 | 19 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 64 | 36 | 8 | 57 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | .228 | .298 | .396 |
| 1979 | 41 | Giants | 117 | 353 | 34 | 88 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 57 | 36 | 2 | 70 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | .249 | .318 | .402 |
| 1980 | 42 | Giants | 48 | 113 | 8 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 13 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | .204 | .285 | .301 |
| Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
| 22 Years | 2,588 | 8,197 | 1,229 | 2,211 | 353 | 46 | 521 | 18 | 1,555 | 1,345 | 260 | 1,550 | 5 | 70 | 69 | 176 | .270 | .374 | .515 | ||
Willie McCoveyWillie McCovey Fielding Stats |
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| Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1959 Giants | 1B | 51 | 49 | 1,224 | 458 | 9.0 | 453 | 424 | 29 | 5 | 29 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 9.99 |
| 1960 Giants | 1B | 71 | 65 | 1,701 | 605 | 8.5 | 596 | 557 | 39 | 9 | 42 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .985 | 9.46 |
| 1961 Giants | 1B | 84 | 79 | 2,130 | 735 | 8.8 | 724 | 669 | 55 | 11 | 55 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .985 | 9.18 |
| 1962 Giants | 1B | 17 | 11 | 279 | 113 | 6.6 | 112 | 105 | 7 | 1 | 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 10.84 |
| 1962 Giants | LF | 45 | 42 | 870 | 71 | 1.6 | 69 | 68 | 1 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .972 | 2.14 |
| 1962 Giants | RF | 12 | 11 | 234 | 14 | 1.2 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.62 |
| 1963 Giants | 1B | 23 | 14 | 432 | 158 | 6.9 | 157 | 143 | 14 | 1 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .994 | 9.81 |
| 1963 Giants | LF | 133 | 130 | 3,279 | 237 | 1.8 | 224 | 218 | 6 | 13 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .945 | 1.84 |
| 1963 Giants | RF | 3 | 1 | 30 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.70 |
| 1964 Giants | 1B | 26 | 21 | 570 | 198 | 7.6 | 191 | 177 | 14 | 7 | 19 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .965 | 9.05 |
| 1964 Giants | LF | 78 | 75 | 1,776 | 96 | 1.2 | 90 | 86 | 4 | 6 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .938 | 1.37 |
| 1964 Giants | RF | 5 | 5 | 105 | 9 | 1.8 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .889 | 2.06 |
| 1965 Giants | 1B | 156 | 150 | 3,900 | 1,410 | 9.0 | 1,397 | 1,310 | 87 | 13 | 93 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 9.67 |
| 1966 Giants | 1B | 145 | 139 | 3,663 | 1,390 | 9.6 | 1,368 | 1,287 | 81 | 22 | 91 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .984 | 10.08 |
| 1967 Giants | 1B | 127 | 123 | 3,324 | 1,317 | 10.4 | 1,302 | 1,221 | 81 | 15 | 102 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 10.58 |
| 1968 Giants | 1B | 146 | 146 | 3,771 | 1,429 | 9.8 | 1,408 | 1,305 | 103 | 21 | 91 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .985 | 10.08 |
| 1969 Giants | 1B | 148 | 148 | 3,747 | 1,483 | 10.0 | 1,471 | 1,392 | 79 | 12 | 116 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .992 | 10.60 |
| 1970 Giants | 1B | 146 | 146 | 3,723 | 1,366 | 9.4 | 1,351 | 1,217 | 134 | 15 | 117 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 9.80 |
| 1971 Giants | 1B | 95 | 95 | 2,385 | 906 | 9.5 | 891 | 828 | 63 | 15 | 80 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .983 | 10.09 |
| 1972 Giants | 1B | 74 | 73 | 1,794 | 658 | 8.9 | 649 | 617 | 32 | 9 | 52 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .986 | 9.77 |
| 1973 Giants | 1B | 117 | 116 | 2,760 | 1,018 | 8.7 | 1,006 | 930 | 76 | 12 | 89 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 9.84 |
| 1974 Padres | 1B | 104 | 103 | 2,523 | 873 | 8.4 | 862 | 815 | 47 | 11 | 59 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 9.22 |
| 1975 Padres | 1B | 115 | 115 | 2,748 | 1,067 | 9.3 | 1,052 | 979 | 73 | 15 | 94 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .986 | 10.34 |
| 1976 Padres | 1B | 51 | 51 | 1,164 | 468 | 9.2 | 464 | 420 | 44 | 4 | 39 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 10.76 |
| 1977 Giants | 1B | 136 | 136 | 3,237 | 1,145 | 8.4 | 1,132 | 1,072 | 60 | 13 | 93 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 9.44 |
| 1978 Giants | 1B | 97 | 95 | 2,184 | 775 | 8.0 | 765 | 721 | 44 | 10 | 49 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 9.46 |
| 1979 Giants | 1B | 89 | 86 | 2,172 | 798 | 9.0 | 788 | 740 | 48 | 10 | 60 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 9.80 |
| 1980 Giants | 1B | 27 | 26 | 705 | 255 | 9.4 | 253 | 241 | 12 | 2 | 18 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .992 | 9.69 |
| Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1B Totals | 2,045 | 1,987 | 50,136 | 18,625 | 9.1 | 18,392 | 17,170 | 1,222 | 233 | 1,405 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 9.90 | |
| LF Totals | 256 | 247 | 5,925 | 404 | 1.6 | 383 | 372 | 11 | 21 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .948 | 1.75 | |
| RF Totals | 20 | 17 | 369 | 26 | 1.3 | 25 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .962 | 1.83 | |
| 22 Years | 2,321 | 2,251 | 56,430 | 19,055 | 8.2 | 18,800 | 17,566 | 1,234 | 255 | 1,407 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 9.00 | |
Willie McCoveyWillie McCovey Miscellaneous Stats |
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| Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
| Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 1959 Giants | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 14.8 | 5.5 | 5.1 | - | - | - |
| 1960 Giants | 1 | 1 | .500 | 36 | 0 | n/a | 20.0 | 4.9 | 5.1 | - | - | - |
| 1961 Giants | 1 | 2 | .333 | 23 | 0 | n/a | 18.2 | 5.5 | 6.6 | - | - | - |
| 1962 Giants | 3 | 3 | .500 | 22 | 0 | n/a | 11.5 | 6.5 | 4.2 | - | - | - |
| 1963 Giants | 1 | 1 | .500 | 7 | 0 | n/a | 12.8 | 4.7 | 5.5 | - | - | - |
| 1964 Giants | 2 | 1 | .667 | 27 | 0 | n/a | 20.2 | 5.0 | 6.7 | - | - | - |
| 1965 Giants | 0 | 4 | .000 | 7 | 0 | n/a | 13.8 | 4.6 | 5.9 | - | - | - |
| 1966 Giants | 2 | 1 | .667 | 8 | 0 | n/a | 13.9 | 5.0 | 5.2 | - | - | - |
| 1967 Giants | 3 | 3 | .500 | 11 | 0 | n/a | 14.7 | 4.1 | 5.0 | - | - | - |
| 1968 Giants | 4 | 2 | .667 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 14.5 | 7.4 | 5.0 | - | - | - |
| 1969 Giants | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 10.9 | 7.4 | 3.9 | - | - | - |
| 1970 Giants | 0 | 0 | .000 | 6 | 0 | n/a | 12.7 | 6.6 | 3.9 | - | - | - |
| 1971 Giants | 0 | 2 | .000 | 10 | 0 | n/a | 18.3 | 5.8 | 4.7 | - | - | - |
| 1972 Giants | 0 | 0 | .000 | 8 | 0 | n/a | 18.8 | 5.8 | 7.5 | - | - | - |
| 1973 Giants | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 13 | 0 | n/a | 13.2 | 4.9 | 5.1 | - | - | - |
| 1974 Padres | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 24 | 0 | n/a | 15.6 | 4.5 | 5.5 | - | - | - |
| 1975 Padres | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 7 | 0 | n/a | 18.0 | 5.2 | 6.1 | - | - | - |
| 1976 Padres | 0 | 0 | .000 | 20 | 0 | n/a | 28.9 | 5.2 | 5.6 | - | - | - |
| 1976 Athletics | 0 | 0 | .000 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 | - | - | - |
| 1977 Giants | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 5 | 0 | n/a | 17.1 | 4.5 | 5.6 | - | - | - |
| 1978 Giants | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 12 | 0 | n/a | 29.3 | 6.2 | 5.5 | - | - | - |
| 1979 Giants | 0 | 2 | .000 | 29 | 0 | n/a | 23.5 | 5.0 | 6.2 | - | - | - |
| 1980 Giants | 0 | 0 | .000 | 22 | 0 | n/a | 113.0 | 4.9 | 7.1 | - | - | - |
| Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 22 Years | 26 | 22 | .542 | 306 | 0 | 9 | 15.7 | 5.3 | 5.3 | - | - | - |

Willie Lee McCovey was a Major League Baseball player with the San Francisco Giants (1959-1973), San Diego Padres (1974-1976), Oakland Athletics (1976), and San Francisco Giants (1977-1980). Did you know that McCovey, when he was only 17 years old, was playing with the 1955 Sandersville Giants in the minor leagues and hit nineteen home runs? Called up to the show when he was only 21, Mac went four-for-four against Hall-of-Famer Robin Roberts in his debut on July 30, 1959, hitting two triples and two singles. Stretch played in only 52 games his rookie season, but had a 22-game hitting streak (a record for San Francisco Giants rookies that still stands, four shy of the all-time team record), hit thirteen home runs, finished with a .354 batting average and won the Rookie of the Year Award. Join Baseball Almanac as we take a look at some additional numbers of interest as they relate one of the most feared sluggers in Major League history:
2 - Willie McCovey hit his last home run on May 3, 1980, ending his career with the second most home runs by a left-handed hitter, at that time in baseball history. The one lefty slugger ahead of Big Mac on the all-time list was named Babe Ruth!
3 - Willie McCovey hit three pinch-hit grand slams during his career, tying the National League record set by Ron Northey (Grand Slam Records).
5 - Willie McCovey hit exactly three-hundred home runs during the 1960s (1960-1969), one of only five to reach that summit during that decade. The other four, along with their home run totals during the '60s, were; Frank Robinson (316 HRs), Willie Mays (350 HRs), Hank Aaron (375 HRs), and Harmon Killebrew (393 HRs).
18 - Willie McCovey hit eighteen grand slams during his career, a National League record to this day (Grand Slam Records).
44 - Willie McCovey wore #44 every year he played with the San Francisco Giants and in 1980, they retired the number in his honor.
52 - Willie McCovey played in 52 games in 1959, his rookie year, but finished the season with a 22-game hitting streak, a .354 batting average, thirteen home runs, and a Rookie of the Year Award - the fewest games played by a non-pitcher Rookie of the Year award winner.
56 - Willie McCovey was ranked fifty-sixth by The Sporting News when they released their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players in the history of baseball.
81.4 - Willie McCovey, on his first Hall of Fame ballot, received 346 of 425 possible votes, 81.4, making him a first ballot inductee in 1986. [See Plaque Below]
231 - Willie McCovey hit 231 of his 521 home runs in Candlestick Park, the most hit there by any player in ballpark history.
521 - Willie McCovey hit 521 career home runs. He joined the 500 Home Runs Club on June 30, 1978. He hit his final home run on May 3, 1980. When he hung up his cleats later that year, he was tied with Ted Williams on the Top 1,000 home runs chart.

Willie McCovey Rookie Card | 1960 Topps Baseball Card (#316 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library
Baseball historian Bill James in The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (Free Press Publishing. 13 June 2003. Page 436.), ranked Stretch as the 9th best first baseman in baseball history and wrote, "If he (Willie McCovey) played in the 1990s with the DH and the modern parks, he'd hit 800 home runs." Simply stated, McCovey was feared at the plate: Hall of Fame manager Walt Alston, "When he belts a home run he does it with such authority it seems like an act of God." Hall of Fame Manager Sparky Anderson, "If you pitch to him he'll ruin baseball. He'd hit 80 home runs. There's no comparison between McCovey and anybody else in the league." Managers weren't the only ones to respect Big Mac's ability as illustrated by this memorable passage in Jim Bouton's classic Ball Four (Wiley Publishing. 12 July 1990. Page 385.):
A group of terrorized pitchers stood around the batting cage watching Willie McCovey belt some tremendous line drives over the right-field fence. Every time a ball bounced into the seats we'd make little whimpering animal sounds. "Hey, Willie," I said. "Can you do that whenever you want to?" He didn't crack a smile. "Just about," he said, and he hit another one. More animal sounds.

Willie McCovey | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1986 (HOF)
Willie McCovey is one of only twenty-nine players in baseball history to have played in Major League baseball games in four different decades and, one of only four — along with Ted Williams, Rickey Henderson, and Omar Vizquel — to hit a home run in four different decades.