Dave Parker, Hall Of Fame Bound, ‘Proud’ Of This Pirates Accomplishment

Dave Parker accomplished a lot during his 19-year MLB career.

We’re talking seven All-Star appearances, three Gold Glove Awards, three Silver Slugger Awards and an MVP Award with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1978.

But according to Parker, who on Sunday was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, all of those individual accolades pale in comparison to what Pittsburgh achieved as a team in 1979.

“I’m proud of a group thing, and that’s winning the ’79 (World) Series and being involved in that,” Parker said on MLB Network when asked for his “proudest” baseball accomplishment. “And the fact that I had played in that era because the 70s was tough. You had to be a heck of a player to play in the 70s, and I enjoyed that. I liked the competition. I used to love those battles with Philadelphia, New York. So, I just enjoyed playing.”

Parker, nicknamed “Cobra,” spent 11 seasons with the Pirates from 1973 to 1983. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays, winning another championship with the A’s in 1989 before eventually retiring in 1991.

It took a while for Parker to finally receive a Cooperstown nod, but there’s no denying he was one of the best players in baseball during his peak. And he had a classic reaction to being inducted Sunday.

More MLB: Pirates Fans Will Love Dave Parker’s Reaction To Hall Of Fame Election