Cooperstown recently inducted its newest members of baseball’s greatest to the Hall of Fame, including players such as CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner, who forever stamped their way in baseball lore. However, one of those names who was inducted posthumously due to his recent passing was Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Dave Parker, who passed away on June 28, 2025, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Nick Gonzales Gives Up No. 39
Current Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales honored one of Major League Baseball’s greatest players, Dave Parker, by giving up his No. 39 jersey in tribute to the former Pirates icon.
“At the time, I didn’t know the importance of that number,” Gonzales said. “At the time, I’m just excited to debut. I’m not really thinking about what number I am.”
Gonzales has worn the same jersey number for the Pirates in all three seasons since leaving New Mexico, and he will now look for a new one. Gonzalez wore No. 21 in college, but that number is out of the question because baseball legend Roberto Clemente wore it during his illustrious career, which included leading the Pirates to two World Series titles in 1960 and 1971, winning the 1971 World Series MVP, as well as becoming a 15-time All-Star and the 1966 National League MVP.
Who Was Dave Parker?
Parker was born in Grenada, Mississippi, but grew up in Cincinnati near Crosley Field, where he learned to play baseball in the stadium parking lots. Growing up, he enjoyed playing football and was the starting tailback for Courter Tech High School, but an injury to his knee during his senior year forced him to forfeit football. Parker went on to play baseball, and one of his fondest memories is hitting a home run at Western Hills High School that landed on the top of Frisch’s restaurant like a bullseye hitting its target.
The Pirates drafted Parker in 1970, but he didn’t make his MLB debut until 1973. After that, history unfolded. Nicknamed “The Cobra” due to his swiftness on the diamond and powerful, intimidating mobility at 6’5 as a right fielder and at bat, a nickname coined by Pirates team trainer Tony Bartirome, Parker started to come into his own by year three where he finished third in MVP voting.
He continued to improve. Parker spent 11 of his 18 major league seasons with the Pirates, where he was named an All-Star four times out of seven, including the 1978 National League MVP. For a decade (1973–1983), Parker was one of three right fielders (Jim Rice, Steve Garvey) to have 700+ runs and 160+ homers with hitting splits of at least .300/.300/.400 during that span. On addition, he won three straight Golden Gloves from 1977-1979 while finishing top 10 in MVP voting for five consecutive seasons from 1975-1979.
Dominance.
Parker and Clemente are the only two Pirates to have achieved those numbers. Expanding it to include all positions, he joins baseball legends Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Hank Aaron, and others. Who old enough to remember can forget the classic 1979 World Series in Game 6 when Parker hit the sharp ground double RBI that helped the Pirates take a 1-0 lead in what ended up a 4-0 shutout over the Baltimore Orioles.
“If you’re in the Hall of Fame, I shouldn’t be wearing your number,” Gonzales said…
“What a ballplayer, and what he means to the Pittsburgh community is pretty cool. He did a lot of cool things when he was here. I wear his number and have a lot of pride, a lot of honor to get to do that.”
