MLB Hall of Famer Rod Carew hopes to qualify for heart transplant following heart attack
Minnesota Twins great and Hall of Fame player Rod Carew is introduced prior to the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training game in Minneapolis. Credit: AP / Jim Mone
MINNEAPOLIS -- Hall of Famer Rod Carew is hoping to qualify for a heart transplant after a massive heart attack two months ago.
The 70-year-old Carew tells Sports Illustrated he was stricken while golfing alone in Corona, California, on Sept. 20.
He tells the magazine "they brought me back to life." He underwent six hours of open heart surgery in which a device that pumps blood was implanted. The device typically acts as a bridge until a heart transplant.
Carew was one of baseball's great hitters, winning seven American League batting titles. He played for the Minnesota Twins and California Angels during a 19-year career. He was the 1967 AL Rookie of the Year and the 1977 AL MVP. There is a statue of him outside Target Field in Minneapolis.
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