Tim McCarver, who transitioned from an All-Star baseball playing career to a legendary stint in the broadcast booth, has died at the age of 81.

McCarver’s death on Thursday was announced by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which gave McCarver the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence in 2012. “Tim McCarver’s immense impact on baseball spanned generations, from a 21-year career on the field to the broadcast booth, where his insights and passion for the game made him one of its most beloved voices,” Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement. “On behalf of the Hall of Fame members and all of us in Cooperstown, we share our heartfelt condolences with his family and friends, and with all of the fans who he entertained and informed for more than six decades.”

McCarver played in the major leagues as a catcher in the 1960s and ’70s, primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals, winning two World Series and being named to two All-Star teams. He finished second in MVP voting in 1967. After retiring as a player in 1980, McCarver quickly moved to the broadcast booth, eventually calling baseball games for all four broadcast networks.

His most notable work as a broadcaster came alongside Joe Buck on Fox’s baseball coverage for nearly two decades, from 1996 to 2013. McCarver went on to call a total of 23 World Series, a record at the time of his retirement. After leaving Fox, he continued to call local games for the Cardinals through the 2019 season.

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