PITTSBURGH – Andrew McCutchen will admit that he didn’t get to know Dave Parker on a very personal level, but the two had several meetings over the years. That comes with being Pittsburgh baseball royalty and winning MVPs in the Steel City.
Reflecting on Saturday, McCutchen remembered an autograph signing where he was stationed right next to Parker. While signing for an hour or two, the two got to talk and get to know each other a little better than just reputation.
“That was the one time I got to know him quite a bit and just learn a little bit about him, his personal life,” McCutchen said. “He was a cool guy. Big guy, cool guy. You knew when he was in the building. He's a big guy, and all around, that's who he was. That was his personality. Joking with the guys around him, making fun of people.”
Parker passed away Saturday after a long and public battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 74.
The Cobra was one of the most feared hitters of the late ‘70s, winning the 1978 National League MVP Award and helping lead the 1979 Pirates to a World Series crown. He was part of the Pirates’ inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2022, and last December, he was finally elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame via the Classic Baseball Era Committee ballot. The enshrinement in Cooperstown is less than a month away, on July 27.
News of Parker’s passing was shared just before the national anthem at PNC Park, where the Pirates held a moment of silence for the Hall of Famer.
"It's a tough thing to hear, but he had been battling Parkinson's for quite some time,” McCutchen said. “… It was rough to see him go through that. I just hope now he's in a better place and not having to worry about any of that stuff anymore. Just thinking about his family and the fanbase who may have had any type of interaction with him, childhoods. He was probably Superman to a lot of people when he played.”
Like many, Nick Gonzales heard the news of Parker’s passing then. Gonzales wears Parker’s No. 39 and went a very Parker-appropriate 2-for-4 with a walk in the Pirates’ 9-2 win over the Mets.
“It just meant a little more playing today with that number,” Gonzales said. “Personally, I think it should be retired. I think I should get a new number, honestly. I think that might happen at some point when some numbers open up.”
Gonzales called it “an honor” to wear Parker’s number on his back. He and his teammates put together a quality effort to honor the franchise icon on the field, too.
“I think it was a good team effort,” Gonzales said. “Obviously, he’s looking down on us. I think we did well today.”