Ex-OF Vic Davalillo dies after emergency surgery

Field Level Media|published: Mon 11th December, 17:42 2023

Oct 3, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; General view of baseball before the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays during game one of the Wildcard series for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Target Field. credits: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Longtime outfielder Vic Davalillo died last week in Caracas, Venezuela, his family announced.

Davalillo died after emergency surgery due to an intestinal blockage and renal issues, according to his family.

There are conflicting birthdates for Davalillo, meaning he was either 84 or 87 when he died.

Davalillo won two World Series rings during a 16-season big league career and was largely utilized as a pinch hitter in the latter stages of his career. He had a .279 career batting average with 36 homers, 329 RBIs and 125 steals in 1,458 games with six teams.

Davalillo was an All-Star with Cleveland in 1965 during his third of five-plus seasons with the franchise. He also played for the California Angels (1968-69), St. Louis Cardinals (1969-70), Pittsburgh Pirates (1971-73), Oakland Athletics (1973-74) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1977-80).

In 22 postseason appearances, Davalillo batted .323 with four walks in 31 at-bats. He won his World Series rings with the 1971 Pirates and 1973 Athletics.

—Field Level Media