World Series champion, TV analyst Tim McCarver dies at 81

NEW YORK — Tim McCarver, the All-Star catcher and Hall of Fame broadcaster who during 60 years in baseball won two World Series titles with the St. Louis Cardinals and had a long run as one of the most recognized, incisive and talkative television commentators in the country, died Thursday. He was 81.

McCarver's death was announced by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which said he died Thursday morning in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was with his family.

Among the few players to appear in major league games in four different decades, McCarver was a two-time All Star who worked closely with two future Hall of Fame pitchers: the tempestuous Bob Gibson, whom McCarver caught for St. Louis in the 1960s, and the introverted Steve Carlton, McCarver's fellow Cardinal in the '60s and a Philadelphia Phillies teammate in the 1970s.

He switched to television soon after retiring in 1980 and became best known to national audiences for his 18-year partnership on Fox with play-by-play man Joe Buck.

«Tim McCarver was an All-Star, a World Series Champion, a respected teammate, and one of the most influential voices our game has known,» MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. «As a player, Tim was a key part of great Cardinals and Phillies teams in his 21-year career. In the booth, his analysis and attention to detail brought fans closer to our game and how it is played and managed. Tim's approach enhanced the fan experience on our biggest stages and on the broadcasts of the Mets, the Yankees and the Cardinals.

»All of us at Major League Baseball are grateful for Tim's impact on sports broadcasting and his distinguished career in our National Pastime. I extend my deepest condolences to Tim's family, friends and the generations