Baseball

Former Durham Bull Rusty Staub, 73, played for five Major League baseball teams

By Sam Newkirk
A 1984, file photo showing New York Mets baseball player Rusty Staub in New York. Staub, who became a huge hit with baseball fans in two countries during an All-Star career that spanned 23 major league seasons, died Thursday, March 29, 2018, in Florida. He was 73.(AP Photo/File)
A 1984, file photo showing New York Mets baseball player Rusty Staub in New York. Staub, who became a huge hit with baseball fans in two countries during an All-Star career that spanned 23 major league seasons, died Thursday, March 29, 2018, in Florida. He was 73.(AP Photo/File)

Former Major League Baseball standout Rusty Staub, who began his professional career with the Durham Bulls, passed away on Thursday. He was 73.

Staub was drafted by the Houston Colt .45's as a 17-year-old in 1961, and he played the 1962 season with the Bulls. He hit .293 with 23 home runs and 93 RBIs in 140 games in Durham and was named the Carolina League's most valuable player.

Staub began his major league career the next season and would play 23 seasons for the Houston Astros, Montreal Expos, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers. Staub hit .423 with a home run and six RBIs for the Mets in the 1973 World Series.

Staub died in a hospital in West Palm Beach, Fla., after a long illness.

This story was originally published March 29, 2018 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Former Durham Bull Rusty Staub, 73, played for five Major League baseball teams."

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