Donn Clendenon
Donn Alvin Clendenon (July 15, 1935 - September 17, 2005) was a first baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1961 through 1972, Clendenon played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1961-68), Montreal Expos (1969[start]), New York Mets (1969[end]]-1971]] and St. Louis Cardinals (1972). A native of Neosho, Missouri, he batted and threw right handed.
In a 12-season career, Clendenon posted a .274 batting average with 159 home runs and 682 RBI in 1362 games.
Clendenon was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1969 World Series when he helped create the team known as the "Miracle Mets" to a five-game triumph over the Baltimore Orioles.
A gifted athlete that could have been a professional player in three different sports, Clendenon signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1957 after rejecting contracts with both Cleveland Browns of the NFL and legendary basketball team Harlem Globetrotters. He made his major league debut with Pittsburgh in 1961 and remained with them until he was selected by the expansion-team Montreal Expos in 1969. He joined the Mets in a midseason deal, played for them through 1971, then finished his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1972.
In the 1969 World Series, Clendenon hit three home runs and had four RBI in the Mets' five-game victory over the Orioles. His home runs in Games Two, Four and Five meant the difference in each contest, and earned Clendenon the Series MVP award.
On July 28, 1970, Clendenon set a Mets record by driving in seven runs with a pair of three-run homers and a sacrifice fly.
After retiring from baseball in 1972, Clendenon earned a law degree. He recounted the 1969 season in his book, Miracle In New York, in which he also talked about growing up in Atlanta, earning his law degree and battling drug addiction as he neared his 50th birthday. He eventually entered a drug rehabilitation facility in Ogden, Utah, and during a physical examination in connection with his treatment, he learned he had leukemia. That prompted his move to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he practiced law and became a certified addiction counselor.
Clendenon died in Sioux Falls, SD, at age of 70.