Longtime Pirates 2B Stennett dies at 72 after cancer fight
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former Pittsburgh Pirate second baseman Rennie Stennett has died following a fight with cancer. He was 72. Stennett spent nine of his 11 big league seasons with the Pirates, helping the team win the 1979 World Series. Stennett hit .274 for his career and twice received votes for the National League’s Most Valuable Player award. He started at second base on Sept. 1, 1971, when the Pirates fielded the first all-Black starting lineup in MLB history. Stennett is also the only player in the modern era to go 7 for 7 at the plate in a nine-inning game. He left the Pirates after the 1979 season, signing a five-year contract with San Francisco. The Giants released him in April 1982.