St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer San Musial, the greatest player in team history, died Saturday at the age of 92.
Musial died surrounded by his family at his Ladue home, according to an announcement at stlcardinals.com Saturday evening.
The outfielder/first baseman hit .331 in 22 seasons, with 475 home runs and 1,951 RBIs. He had 3,630 hits -- 1,815 at home and 1,815 on the road.
"We have lost the most beloved member of the Cardinals family," said team owner William DeWitt Jr. "Stan Musial was the greatest player in Cardinals history and one of the best players in the history of baseball.
"The entire Cardinals organization extends its sincere condolences to Stan's family, including his children Richard, Gerry, Janet and Jean, as well as his 11 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
"We join fans everywhere in mourning the loss of our dear friend and reflect on how fortunate we all are to have known 'Stan the Man'."
Musial was a three-time Most Valuable Player in the National Leagues. He played in 24 All-Star Games and led the NL in batting seven times.
Funeral arrangments are pending. Musial was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian, who died in May.
Former Cardinal Albert Pujols, who became close with Musial during his 11 seasons in St. Louis, posted this on his Twitter account: "Just heard Stan Musial has passed. Pretty sad. Thanks for everything, "The Man."
There are two statues outside Busch Stadium in Musial's honor; he played his entire career with St. Louis and was the team's general manager -- and universal good will ambassador -- following his retirement.
"Here stands baseball's perfect warrior," the base of the statue of Musial reads on the west side of Busch. "Here stands baseball's perfect knight."
The quote is from former Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick, who made the remark during a retirement ceremony for Musial on Sept. 29, 1963 -- following his last game as a Cardinal.
Five years later, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on his first ballot, with 93.2 percent of the vote.
His death Saturday came on the eve of the annual St. Louis Baseball Writers Dinner, which frequently found an excuse to honor him in his later years.
The highlight of many of those dinners came when Musial pulled out his harmonica and played "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" and "The Wabash Cannonball."
