Dave Parker, former Pittsburgh Pirates player, dies at 74

Dave Parker, the slugging outfielder nicknamed the Cobra who won a pair of National League batting championships, helped propel the Pittsburgh Pirates to the 1979 World Series championship and was belatedly elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame late last year, died on Saturday at a nursing facility in Cincinnati.

With Dave Parker's passing at the age of 74 on June 28, 2025 and his upcoming induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, MLB.com takes a look back on Parker's impact on his hometown team, the Cincinnati Reds, via free agency.

Parker was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2012. He told reporters that he burst into tears upon learning of his selection to the Hall of Fame. "Yeah, I cried," Parker said after receiving the news. "It only took a few minutes, because I don't cry."