Former Met Rusty Staub dealing with kidney failure, source confirms
Rusty Staub, pinch hitting for the Mets, watches his sixth-inning hit to rightfield against the Cubs at Shea Stadium on May 1, 1984. Credit: AP / Ron Frehm
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Former Met Rusty Staub, dealing with kidney failure, is hospitalized in West Palm Beach, Florida, a source confirmed.
Staub is 73 and has a history of health issues.
“Fred and Jeff Wilpon have each reached out to Rusty to wish him well,” the Mets said in a statement. “In addition, multiple people from our organization have been in contact. All of us wish Rusty and his loved ones well in his courageous battle.”
In 2015, Staub suffered a heart attack during a flight from Ireland. Days later, having made it back to New York, Staub threw the first pitch at a Mets home playoff game.
Staub, a rightfielder and first baseman, had two stints with the Mets, from 1972-75 and 1981-85. He was a key player on the Mets’ 1973 World Series team that lost to the A’s in seven games. He also played for the Astros/Colt .45s, Expos, Tigers and Rangers in a 23-year major-league career that began a week after his 19th birthday. He was a career .279 hitter with 292 home runs and six All-Star appearances.
The Mets added Staub to their team Hall of Fame in 1986.
In 1985, his last major-league season, Staub founded the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund, which provides financial assistance and a support network for families of first responders who are killed in the line of duty.
