Former 11-Time MLB All-Star Del Crandall Dies at Age 91

Del Crandall, an 11-time MLB All-Star who was the last living player from the Boston Braves, died Wednesday at the age of 91.

JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the news Thursday.

Crandall started his career with Boston in 1949 and moved with the franchise to Milwaukee in 1953. He also played for the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland across 16 years. He later served as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners.

The California native finished second to Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe in Rookie of the Year voting in 1949, and he made the first of four straight All-Star Game appearances in 1953 after a two-year service in the U.S. military during the Korean War.

Crandall won a World Series with Milwaukee in 1957. The standout catcher hit an eighth-inning home run in Game 7 of that year's Fall Classic to help the Braves to a 5-0 victory.

His accolades also included four Gold Glove Awards. He finished his career with a .254 batting average and 179 home runs across 1,573 regular-season games.

"He was an amazing husband, father and leader," his son, Jeff Crandall, said.

Crandall spent six years as a manager, four with the Brewers (1972-76) and two with the Mariners (1983-84), and later worked as a broadcaster for the Brewers and Chicago White Sox.

In 2014, he told Chris Haire of the Long Beach Press-Telegram his love of the game gave him a different outlook than some of his teammates, especially early in his career.

"My first year in the minors, there were older players complaining about the bus and train rides and how awful the towns were," he said. "I couldn't understand that. I had no expectations because baseball is what I always wanted to do."

Crandall is a member of the Braves Hall of Fame.