Oakland A’s World Series Champ Dave Parker dies at 74
Dave Parker before a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park on May 21, 2014. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, Calif. - Lauded Major League Baseball right fielder David Gene Parker – whose veteran leadership helped the Oakland A’s win a World Series title in 1989 – has died at age 74.
MLB announced on X on Saturday afternoon that Parker passed away after battling Parkinson’s disease for several years.
Parker – who also won a World Series title with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979 – was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in December, and his death comes just a month before he was scheduled to be inducted into the hall.
The History of "The Cobra"
Nicknamed "the Cobra" for his speed and agility, Parker began his major league career with the Pirates in 1973.
In addition to the World Series win, Parker accrued a bevy of accolades during his decade with the Pittsburgh team, including two consecutive National League batting titles, three Gold Glove awards and at least four of his seven All-Star appearances.
"'The Cobra' was one of the most dominating and intimidating players to ever wear a Pirates uniform," said Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting in a prepared statement. "All of us who grew up in the '70s remember how special Dave was. He was an All-Star, a Gold Glover, a batting champion, a National League MVP and a critical part of the 1979 Pirates World Series Championship team."
Parker was the first MLB player in the game to receive a million-dollar-per-year contract when, in 1978, the Pirates signed him to a five-year, $5 million contract. The at-the-time staggering salary rankled a few baseball fans, who reportedly threw nuts, bolts, bats and batteries at Parker during the 1979 and 1980 MLB seasons.
Parker’s performance on the field began to suffer in the 1980s, due at least in part to his cocaine use. Parker and several other MLB players were called before a grand jury to provide testimony on the extent of drug use among professionals in the sport, which led to the 1985 Pittsburgh drug trials.
Parker was one of 11 players who were slapped with a suspension in the wake of the trials. However, the players were given the opportunity to avoid the suspension if they agreed to donate 10% of one year of their base salary to a local drug rehabilitation facility, performed 100 hours of community service and submitted to drug testing for the remainder of their MLB careers, according to contemporaneous reporting from USA Today.
Winning with Oakland
After his contract with the Pirates was over, Parker spent a few years with the Cincinnati Reds before he was traded to the Oakland Athletics at the end of the 1987 baseball season.
Though age and a buildup of injuries in his career forced Parker to take a designated hitter role with the Oakland team, his experience and leadership was credited in part to leading the A’s to two consecutive World Series appearances in 1988 and 1989.
The A’s – with Parker on the team – clinched the win in 1989 by sweeping the San Francisco Giants in a World Series accentuated by the deadly Loma Prieta earthquake.
After his time with the A’s, Parker spent a season with the Milwaukee Brewers as a designated hitter. He played his last season in 1991, where he served as a designated hitter for the then-California Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Parker retired at the end of the 1991 baseball season, and thereafter served as a coach for the Angels and the St. Louis Cardinals, and as a hitting instructor for the Pirates.
Parker appeared for many years on ballots to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but long failed to secure an induction. Some commentators attributed Parker’s years-long rejection to his involvement in the 1985 Pittsburgh drug trials.
However, Parker was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Class of 2014 and into the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural 2022 class.
Parker was finally elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in December 2024, after he appeared on a "Classic Era" ballot that considered candidates whose contributions to the game came prior to 1980.
Parker will be formally inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27.
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