The baseball world lost an icon on Tuesday when the Giants announced that Hall-of-Famer Monte Irvin passed away at the age of 96.
Irvin, who played from 1949 to 1956, was an All-Star in 1952 after leading the league with 121 RBI in 1951, when he finished third in the MVP voting.
He won a World Series with the New York Giants in 1954.
[RELATED: What they're saying: MLB pioneer Monte Irvin departs]
Teammate and fellow Hall-of-Famer Willie Mays released the following statement:
"Today is a sad, sad day for me. I lost someone I cared about and admired very, very much; someone who was like a second father to me. Monte was a kind of guy that you had to be around to get to know. But once you became friends, he always had your back. You had a friend for life. Monte Irvin was a great left fielder. Monte Irvin was a great man. I will miss him. There are no words for how I feel today. I could say so much more about Monte, but this is not so easy to do right now."
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement:
“Monte Irvin was a true leader during a transformational era for our game. A longtime member of the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues in his native New Jersey, the All-Star slugger made a seamless transition to the New York Giants in 1949. With the Giants, he played a key role on two National League pennant-winning clubs and befriended fellow Hall of Famer Willie Mays. Monte remained an exceptional ambassador for the National Pastime long after his playing career concluded in 1956. He spent 17 years working under Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and long maintained a close association with the Giants franchise.
“Monte loved our game dearly, bridged eras of its history and touched many lives. Major League Baseball will be forever grateful to courageous individuals like Monte Irvin. On behalf of our 30 Clubs, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans.”
A career .293/.383/.460 hitter with 99 home runs and 443 RBI, Irvin was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973.
