Tim McCarver Dies at 81

Tim McCarver, the long-time Major League broadcaster and former catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, died on Thursday at the age of 81.

McCarver died of heart failure. News of his death was released by the Baseball Hall of Fame.

To a generation of baseball fans, he was the voice of the postseason. He called 24 World Series and 29 straight postseasons. He worked 16 World Series and 15 All-Star games with Joe Buck on Fox. Before that, McCarver worked with Joe Buck’s father, Jack, in the same capacity with CBS. He also did local broadcasting in Philadelphia and St. Louis.

McCarver branched out into coverage of the Winter Olympics while with CBS and won three Emmy awards for his work on television.

He is a recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting in 2012 and was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2016.

For another generation of baseball fans, he was a long-time catcher who nearly earned the National League’s Most Valuable Player award with the Cardinals.

McCarver, a native of Memphis, played 21 MLB seasons for St. Louis, Philadelphia, Boston and Montreal. He won two World Series with the Cardinals, made two All-Star Game appearances and caught Hall of Famer Bob Gibson.

He also caught Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton with the Phillies. He batted .271 lifetime with 97 home runs and 1,501 hits.

McCarver is survived by his daughters Kathy and Kelley, and grandchildren Leigh and Beau.