Giants Legend, Hall of Famer Willie McCovey Dies at Age 80

Baseball Hall of Famer Willie McCovey died on Wednesday at the age of 80.

Per Steve Kroner and John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, McCovey died at Stanford Hospital following a "long battle with many health issues."

The San Francisco Giants confirmed McCovey's death with a message on Twitter:

Kroner and Shea noted McCovey was hospitalized last week after developing an infection.

McCovey was previously rushed to a hospital in September 2014 after contracting an infection that nearly took his life.

"It almost killed me," McCovey told Shea in January. "It had spread, and they had to take all the hardware out of my knees. That's why I can't stand now. That's why they put something in there to keep my legs straight. That's why I don't fly anymore, because I can't sit on an airplane."

"Stretch" spent 19 of his 22 MLB seasons with the Giants. He was named to six All-Star teams, won NL Rookie of the Year award in 1959 and was named NL MVP in 1969. The Alabama native hit 521 career homers, tied for 20th in MLB history, and was voted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.