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Baseball legend Rusty Staub, who played for Tigers in 1970s, dies at 73

DETROIT -- Rusty Staub, the orange-haired outfielder who became a huge hit with baseball fans in two countries during an All-Star career that spanned 23 major league seasons, died Thursday. He was 73.

Staub played for the Detroit Tigers from 1976 to 1979, making an impact on Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker, two young players who would become franchise icons in the years to come.

When he returned to the New York Mets late in his career, he met a young Ron Gardenhire.

"Rusty was a tremendous friend and teammate," said Gardenhire, now the Tigers manager, in a statement released by the team.