Lindy McDaniel, an All-Star reliever who appeared in nearly 1,000 major-league games over 21 seasons, has died. He was 84.
Bill Chambers, a longtime friend and fellow elder at the Lavon Church of Christ in Lavon, Texas, said McDaniel died of COVID-19 on Saturday night at an acute care facility in Carrollton, a Dallas suburb.
Steady as a long reliever and closer, McDaniel pitched in 987 big-league games, trailing only Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm when he retired in 1975.
McDaniel debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals as a 19-year-old in 1955 and won 15 games as a starter two years later before transitioning to the bullpen for the bulk of his career.