OCALA, Fla. (AP) -- Former Major League Baseball player John "Champ" Summers has died in north Florida. He was 66.
Summers' wife, Joy, says he passed away Thursday after a 2 1/2-year battle with kidney cancer.
Starting in 1974, Summers played 10 seasons in the majors for six different teams.
His wife said Thursday "his favorite team was Detroit. He stayed there the longest, and he loved the fans."
Besides playing for the Tigers, Summers also played for the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. He later spent time as a hitting coach for the New York Yankees.
Summers finished his MLB career with a .255 batting average, 54 home runs and 218 RBIs.
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Sunday, May 19 2013 10:15 PM EDT2013-05-20 02:15:36 GMT
Daniel Murphy hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and the New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Sunday for their first series win at Wrigley Field since 2007.
Daniel Murphy hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and the New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Sunday for their first series win at Wrigley Field since 2007.
Saturday, May 18 2013 11:08 PM EDT2013-05-19 03:08:37 GMT
Scott Feldman pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning and drove in two runs with a big two-out double, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 8-2 on Saturday.
Scott Feldman pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning and drove in two runs with a big two-out double, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 8-2 on Saturday.
Wednesday, May 15 2013 11:19 PM EDT2013-05-16 03:19:36 GMT
Jeff Samardzija hit a two-run home run and pitched eight strong innings for his first win since opening day and the Chicago Cubs beat the Colorado Rockies 6-3 on Wednesday night.
Jeff Samardzija hit a two-run home run and pitched eight strong innings for his first win since opening day and the Chicago Cubs beat the Colorado Rockies 6-3 on Wednesday night.
Wednesday, May 15 2013 8:42 AM EDT2013-05-15 12:42:09 GMT
Carlos Gonzalez homered twice and finished with a career-high five hits to lead the struggling Colorado Rockies to a 9-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.
Carlos Gonzalez homered twice and finished with a career-high five hits to lead the struggling Colorado Rockies to a 9-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.
Monday, May 13 2013 11:24 PM EDT2013-05-14 03:24:50 GMT
Travis Wood pitched seven scoreless innings and the Chicago Cubs came within two outs of their first shutout since last August in a 9-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.
Travis Wood pitched seven scoreless innings and the Chicago Cubs came within two outs of their first shutout since last August in a 9-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.
Monday, May 13 2013 7:06 PM EDT2013-05-13 23:06:49 GMT
Slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs agreed Monday to a $41 million, seven-year contract that could be worth up to $68 million over nine seasons.
Slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs agreed Monday to a $41 million, seven-year contract that could be worth up to $68 million over nine seasons.
Saturday, May 11 2013 11:33 PM EDT2013-05-12 03:33:42 GMT
Dominant early, Stephen Strasburg fell apart after one of Ryan Zimmerman's two errors and wound up dropping his fifth consecutive decision, an 8-2 loss Saturday to the Chicago Cubs
Dominant early, Stephen Strasburg fell apart after one of Ryan Zimmerman's two errors and wound up dropping his fifth consecutive decision, an 8-2 loss Saturday to the Chicago Cubs
Saturday, May 11 2013 12:12 PM EDT2013-05-11 16:12:33 GMT
Ian Desmond's three hits and Danny Espinosa and Kurt Suzuki also driving in runs with doubles, helped the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3 for their season-high fifth consecutive victory.
Ian Desmond's three hits and Danny Espinosa and Kurt Suzuki also driving in runs with doubles, helped the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3 for their season-high fifth consecutive victory.
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