Dave Parker

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The pinnacle of Parker's Pirates career came during the 1979 season. As part of the 'We Are Family' squad that captured the World Series title against the Baltimore Orioles, Parker was instrumental. He was one of several Pirates to make the United Press International all-star selection at the end of the 1979 season, including Willie Stargell. Parker's power hitting resulted in an at-bat that 'knocked the cover off the ball' upon landing in the outfield, complicating the subsequent attempt to return it to play. Despite his dominating offensive performance in the late 1970s, by the early 1980s, Parker's batting prowess waned due to sustained injuries, weight-related issues, and his escalating cocaine consumption. He became a central figure in a pervasive drug scandal involving drug dealer Curtis Strong. The Pirates later initiated legal action against him over a dispute regarding deferred payments on his 1979 contract, though the timing and details differ from earlier accounts. Parker and the team mutually resolved the matter through an out-of-court settlement.

In Their Own Story

In 1977, Parker was the National League batting champion, a feat he subsequently repeated in 1978 when he was also named the National League Most Valuable Player. During his MVP campaign, Parker led the National League in slugging percentage (.585), on-base plus slugging (.979), and total bases (340). He achieved these statistics despite a collision with John Stearns at home plate during a game against the New York Mets on June 30, 1978, in which he sustained a fractured jaw and cheekbone. A specially crafted hockey mask allowed him to return in a little over two weeks. Because the mask hindered his ability to see pitches, he tried a series of modified football helmets with—and ultimately without—a facemask that he only wore when running the bases. The gear was controversial among opposing players because it enhanced his already imposing presence, and they feared being injured when defending against his unabated physical play. However, neither the league nor umpires disallowed it, and he continued using it until voluntarily giving it up in the early 1979 season.

Reader's Guide

Dave Parker commenced his Major League Baseball career in 1973, when the Pittsburgh Pirates elevated him from the minor leagues. He adopted a unique approach to warming up in the on-deck circle, utilizing a sledgehammer, in contrast to the customary lead-weighted bat employed by most batters. In 1977, Parker was the National League batting champion, a feat he subsequently repeated in 1978 when he was also named the National League Most Valuable Player. The next year, the Pirates rewarded him with a five-year deal that was American sports' first million-dollar-per-year contract. The increase over his reported $225,000 annual salary angered working-class Pittsburgh fans struggling with the declining coal and steel industries, who saw all millionaires as 'pillars of greed.' Pitcher Kent Tekulve recalled that fans 'threw bags of nuts and bolts at him', batteries, live bullets—and in one instance, a souvenir bat. Off the field, his cars were vandalized, he received death threats and racist hate mail, including being told to, 'go back to Africa.' Parker proved to be an instrumental part of the Pirates' 1979 World Series championship team. In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their seminal work, 'The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.' The authors, acknowledging Parker's subsequent success at replacing Roberto Clemente at the right field position, remarked, 'Someone must have a fondness for right field in Pittsburgh.' At the end of the 1983 season, Parker became a free agent and signed with the Cincinnati Reds on December 7, 1983.

Did You Know?

• Nolan Ryan's 1979 contract with the Houston Astros was the first in American sports to average $1 million per year, not Parker's five-year, $5 million deal signed in January 1979.
• From 1975 to 1979, he threw out 72 runners, including 26 in 1977.
• Parker used a sledgehammer to warm up in the on-deck circle, instead of the customary lead-weighted bat.
• After fracturing his jaw and cheekbone in a collision with John Stearns in 1978, Parker returned in a little over two weeks wearing a specially crafted hockey mask.
• Parker was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025, but died 29 days before he was to be inducted.