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Hall of Fame baseball player, announcer Joe Morgan dies at 77

Morgan played 22 seasons in the Major Leagues, followed by a long run as an announcer, including 20 years on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

CALIFORNIA, USA — Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan has died at age 77.

A family spokesman says he died at his home Sunday in Danville, California. Morgan was suffering from a nerve condition, a form of polyneuropathy.  

Morgan played 22 seasons in the Major Leagues, followed by a long run as an announcer, including a stint on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

While he is most remembered for his time with the Cincinnati Reds as apart of "The Big Red Machine", Morgan also spent 1983 with the National League Pennant winning Philadelphia Phillies.

For his career, Morgan totaled 2,517 hits with 268 home runs and 1,133 RBI's. He scored 1650 runs while routinely hitting at the top of his team's lineup and playing second base.

Outside of his combination of power and speed, the 5-foot-7 dynamo known for flapping his left elbow drove a Cincinnati team featuring the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez to World Series titles in 1975 and '76. 

Morgan's numbers translated in respect throughout the game, as he was a 10-time All-Star, a 2-time National League MVP, a 5-time Gold Glove Winner, and a 2-time World Series Champion.

He also suited up as a member of the Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants.

The Reds paid tribute to Morgan on social media, even changing the team's profile pictures to his legendary number "8": 

Morgan was inducted into the Reds' Hall of Fame in 1987, and his jersey number was retired.

In 1990, Morgan was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot with 81.8% of the vote.

After his career was over, Morgan announced for ABC, NBC Sports, and was a member of ESPN's lead baseball broadcast team alongside Jon Miller from 1990 until 2011.

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