The Pirates Fam-a-lee is mourning the loss of one of its own.
Infielder/outfielder Rennie Sennett died Tuesday morning in Coconut Creek, Florida after a long battle with cancer.
Stennett was 72.
He spent nine of his 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, including winning two World Series championships in 1971 and 1971 (although he did not play in the postseason in '71.)
"We are saddened by the loss of such a beloved member of the Pirates family. Rennie was a great player on the field, and an even better person off of it," said Pirates president Travis Williams.
"A member of our World Series championships in both 1971 and 1979 who remained a very active and cherished member of our Alumni Association, Rennie symbolized what it meant to be a Pittsburgh Pirate."
Stennent had a lifetime batting average of .274 with 1,239 hits, 41 homeruns and 432 RBI. He had a .306 OBP and .359 slugging.
"Rennie was proud to be a member of the first all-minority lineup in Major League Baseball history when he took the field with his teammates 50 years ago on September 1, 1971," Williams said.
"And who could ever forget when he famously went 7-for-7 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 16, 1975, becoming the first, and still, only player in the modern-era to accomplish the feat in a nine-inning game.
Stennett spent his final two seasons with the San Francisco Giants, but is will always be considered a Pirate.
"Rennie's legacy will live on here with the Pirates and through his family he loved dearly. Our sincere condolences to his daughter Renee [Lujo], her husband Rolando and their sons Rolando Jr. and Rylan, Rennie's son Rennie Jr., his daughter Nevaeh and son Camden, as well as Rennie's son Roberto. We join them and all his loved ones in their grief. Rennie will be missed."
