Randy Moffitt, a longtime Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the younger brother of tennis legend Billie Jean King, died Thursday in his hometown of Long Beach, California, following a lengthy illness. He was 76.
After playing college baseball at Cal State Long Beach, Moffitt was selected 18th overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 1970 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut two years later and went on to play 10 seasons for the franchise. A steady presence in the bullpen, he recorded 83 saves and a 3.68 ERA over 459 games, earning him a spot on the Giants Wall of Fame in 2008.
Moffitt’s career was derailed in 1979 after he contracted a rare intestinal parasite, which caused frequent nausea and a loss of 25 pounds. His performance suffered significantly, and he posted a 7.00 ERA over his final three seasons in San Francisco. He recovered enough to pitch two solid final seasons, one with the Houston Astros in 1982 and another with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1983.
In a social media post earlier this year, King described herself and her brother as “competitive kids, right from the start.” Their sibling rivalry later added a unique layer to the Giants-Dodgers rivalry when King became a minority owner of the Dodgers in 2018.
Moffitt is survived by two daughters, Miranda Harrah and Alysha Gosse, their husbands, and four grandchildren.
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