Baseball legend Rico Carty, who played for the Braves franchise in Milwaukee and Atlanta, passed away over the weekend at the age of 85.
Carty played for the Braves from 1963 to 1972 and won the 1970 NL batting title after hitting a major league-best .366.
Listín Diario reported that he died at a hospital in Atlanta on Saturday night and the Daily Mail reported that he had been hospitalized for the past two weeks with intestinal ailments.
“Few players in franchise history connected with Braves fans like Rico Carty. A fan-favorite almost instantly after the club arrived in Atlanta from Milwaukee in 1966, Rico left an indelible mark on the Braves organization,” the team said in a statement. “While his on-field accomplishments will never be forgotten, his unforgettable smile and generous nature will be sorely missed. It is with a heavy heart we send our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, and numerous fans around the world.”
Carty had been inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2023 and made his big league debut for the ballclub in September of 1963.
He came in second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1964 after hitting .330 with 22 homers and 88 RBIs.
“Carty was one of the first groundbreaking Latino stars in the major leagues, and he established himself as a hero to millions in his native Dominican Republic, his hometown of San Pedro de Macoris, and the city of Atlanta, where he was a beloved fan favorite,” the Major League Baseball Players Association said in a statement.
Carty’s 15-year major league career included time with Cleveland, Toronto, Oakland, Texas and the Chicago Cubs before retiring in 1979.
Carty also holds the distinction of being the first Braves player to record a hit after the move to Atlanta in a game against the Pirates on April 12, 1966.