Ed Ott, who won World Series with Pirates, dead at 72

Ed Ott, a former MLB catcher who won a World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979, has died, the team announced on Sunday. He was 72.

The Pirates said Ott died in Danville, Pennsylvania. No cause of death was given.

“We are saddened by the loss of such a beloved member of the Pirates family,” Pirates president Travis Williams said in a news release. “Ed spent seven of his eight years in the Major Leagues with the Pirates and was a valued member of our World Series Championship team in 1979. 

“It was great to see him last summer when he was in Pittsburgh to support former teammate Kent Tekulve at our Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

“Our sincere condolences to his wife, Sue, daughter Michelle, and the entire Ott family.”

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The Pirates selected Ott out of Muncy High School in Pennsylvania in the 23rd round of the 1970 draft. He made his debut in the 1974 season and came back in 1975 but only played 12 games in the majors over the course of those two seasons.

He did not start to get serious playing time until the 1977 season. He played 117 games with the Pirates in 1979 and hit .273 with seven home runs and a .699 OPS. In the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles, he was 4-for-12 with three RBI.

The Pirates topped the Orioles in seven games.

He played one more season for Pittsburgh in 1980 and then spent one last year with the California Angels.

He was a minor league coach in the Angles, Pirates and Cincinnati Reds’ organizations before being a coach in the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.