Dave Parker Chooses Pirates Cap for Hall of Fame Plaque
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will have one of their legends honor the franchise in the Hall of Fame.
Dave Parker, who earned his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame via the Classic Baseball Era Committee Committee's vote, will wear the Pirates cap for his plaque in Cooperstown.
Dave Parker's image on his #HallofFame plaque will be wearing @Pirates cap. https://t.co/kigU2chr9x pic.twitter.com/tl19P4Msce
— Greg Brown (@gbrowniepoints) February 10, 2025
Parker played for 19 seasons in the MLB, including 11 with the Pirates, 1973-83. He also played for his hometown Cincinnati Reds, 1984-87, the Oakland Athletics, 1988-89, the Milwaukee Brewers in 1990 and both the California Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays in 1991.
While Parker will wear the Pirates cap, it isn't known whether he'll wear a solid cap or the famous 1979 cap from the "We Are Family" World Series season. That hat is black, but has three yellow stripes and a yellow "P" in the middle.
Parker played in 1,301 games for the Pirates, with 1,479 hits, 296 doubles, 62 triples, 166 home runs, 758 RBI, 123 stolen bases and 346 walks. He ranks sixth in franchise history in home runs, eighth in both doubles and 524 extra-base hits and ninth in slugging percentage, .494.
His best season came in 1978, where he hit .334/.394/.585, with 194 hits in 581 at-bats, 32 doubles, 12 triples, 30 home runs, 117 RBI, 20 stolen bases and 57 walks. He won the National League batting title, a Gold Glove Award and the National League MVP.
Parker also won the NL Batting Title in 1977, at .338, his career-high batting average, the Gold Glove Award in 1977 and 1979, plus earned an NL All-Star four times in 1977 and 1979-81, with the Pirates.
"The Cobra" excelled in the 1979 World Series, which the Pirates won in seven games for their fifth and last champonship in franchise history, as he hit .341 and drove in six RBI.
He would go on to have a succcessful career after his time with the Pirates, winning the World Series with the A's in 1989. He also earned three more All-Star nods and won three Silver Slugger Awards in 1985, 1986 and 1990, while also leading the NL with 125 RBI in 1985.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.