Pirates’ Parker Joins Hall of Fame Roster

Dave Parker II offered a wonderful tribute to his late father, David Gene Parker, when delivering a Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum induction speech in Cooperstown, N.Y., last Sunday.

Parker is among the five members of the Class of 2025 (Dick Allen, Ichiro Suzuki, Billy Wagner, CC Sabathia). Last December, Parker was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Hall of Fame Classic Baseball Era Committee. Having last played in an MLB game in 1991, after 19 seasons, Parker’s long journey to becoming one of the 351 members of the Hall of Fame had arrived.

On June 28, after battling Parkinson’s disease for more than a decade, Parker passed away.

This past Saturday, during a press conference at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, Parker II spoke eloquently about his father’s contributions to baseball.

“Dad retired when I was six years old, so I don’t have too many memories of him in uniform. But, as I got older, I loved hearing him tell stories about his experiences and teammates,” Park II said. “He liked the nickname, Cobra. The way he waved his bat, then stopped, and made contact with the ball – the rest is history.”

Although Parker wasn’t present to deliver his induction speech, his son recounts that his dad had input into it.

During Parker’s celebrated career, 11 seasons were spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His finest season came in 1978, a year before the club would win a World Series championship over the Baltimore Orioles. Parker was selected the National League MVP for the 1978 season and won the league’s batting crown.

“He definitely had an impact on the game,” says Parker II of his father. “The hoop earrings he wore, and the things he said, it was like he was telling everyone that he was picking his own lane to go about his business on the field.”

Known for his hitting prowess with a lifetime batting average of .290 and 2,712 hits, Parker’s play in right field had some comparing his arm to that of the late Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente. Having a “cannon” for an arm, Parker froze many baserunners by keeping them at bay with his dead-on throws.

On a rainy, humid day in Upstate New York, Parker II followed the day’s first inductee, Billy Wagner, as he made his way to address the estimated 30,000 fans in attendance. Sitting next to Cal Ripken, Jr on the stage that seated 55 returning Hall of Famers, induction emcee Brian Kenny of MLB Network called Parker II up to the podium to accept his father’s plaque and ring.

At 3:53 p.m., on July 27, Parker’s joining the Hall of Fame roster became official. Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark proclaimed Parker as a Hall of Famer and welcomed his son with a handshake.

Throughout the acceptance speech, Parker II referred to his father as “Pops.” Former teammates from the Cincinnati Reds, Eric Davis and Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, offered tributes via taped interviews of Parker. Four of Parker’s 19 MLB seasons were played with his hometown Reds.

The overall theme from friends and family of Parker’s contributions on and off the field was summed up as “We’re so proud of you.”

Parker was part of two World Series championship clubs: the 1979 Pirates and the 1989 Oakland Athletics.

Parker II singled out former Pirates’ teammates Al Oliver, manager Chuck Tanner, and Hall of Famer Willie Stargell as the heart of the winning culture in Pittsburgh during his dad’s time with the club (1973-1983). The Pirates’ logo appears on Parker’s Hall of Fame bronze plaque. Much of what Parker II said during his speech came from what his dad had planned to say in Cooperstown.

At age 74, in his final weeks, Parker was working on his induction speech.

“You’re in the Hall of Fame now. No one can take that away from you,” Parker II said of his father, with tears falling down his cheeks.
The Parker family was well represented in Cooperstown. Riding in the Hall of Fame Parade on Saturday, Parker’s widow, Kellye, was accompanied by her son, Dave Parker II, and other family members.

Between working his way up the Pirates’ minor league system, along with his 11 MLB seasons in Pittsburgh, Parker spent a great deal of time at Pirate City and the Greater Bradenton area over the years.

Perhaps the one word that best described Parker II’s speech comes from MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds. At the conclusion of the 15-minute speech, Reynolds tagged it, ”Awesome.”