Gene Clines, part of 1st MLB all-minority lineup, dies at 75

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Gene Clines, part of the first all-minority lineup in Major League Baseball history and a line drive-hitting outfielder for the 1971 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates, died Thursday. He was 75.

Clines’ wife, Joanne, told the Pirates that Clines died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, site of the team’s longtime spring training home. No cause of death was given.

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On Sept. 1, 1971, Clines batted second and played center field for the Pirates in a starting lineup comprised entirely of players of Black and Latino descent. He doubled, singled and scored twice as Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia 10-7 at Three Rivers Stadium.

Clines was at PNC Park last September when the Pirates celebrated the 50th anniversary of the occasion, with fellow starters Al Oliver, Dave Cash and Manny Sanguillen joining the festivities.

Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Rennie Stennett, Jackie Hernández and Dock Ellis also started for the Pirates on that historic night in 1971. A month later, they won the World Series, beating the Baltimore Orioles in seven games.

FILE - Gene Clines, a member of the 1971 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates, takes part in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the championship season before of a baseball game between the Pirates and the New York Mets in Pittsburgh, Saturday, July 17, 2021. Clines, part of the first all-minority lineup in Major League Baseball history and a line drive-hitting outfielder for the 1971 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates, died Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. He was 75. Clines’ wife, Joanne, told the Pirates that Clines died at his home in Bradenton,