“We send our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, former teammates and many fans of Rusty Staub, who sadly passed away this morning,” the Houston Astros said in a statement, March 29, 2018. “As a member of the Colt .45s and Astros from 1963-68, Rusty was one of the first stars in the club’s history and played a significant role in establishing the franchise in its early years. His contributions to the Astros organization and to Major League Baseball overall will always be remembered.”

Daniel Joseph “Rusty” Staub passed away in West Palm Beach, Florida, due to multiple organ failures. He was initially admitted with pneumonia, dehydration, and an infection, and spent a total of eight weeks in a local hospital. Coincidentally, West Palm Beach is the Spring Training home of the Astros, who had vacated their complex just days before Staub’s passing.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred added, “Across his accomplished 23-year major league career, Rusty Staub earned the respect of fans in Houston, Montreal, New York, Detroit and beyond. Known for his power and patience at the plate, Rusty became an All-Star for three different clubs and a fan favorite.

“He played a memorable role in the early-franchise histories of the Astros and the Expos, and he starred for the Mets in the 1973 World Series. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Rusty’s family and friends, Mets fans and his many other admirers in the United States and Canada.”

The left-handed batting Staub, 6’2″ and 200 lbs, held the distinction of being the only player in major league history to have collected at least 500 hits with four different teams.

Houston Embraces Rusty

Eight days after his 19th birthday, Staub began his big league career with the Colt .45s on Opening Day, 1963. He batted cleanup that day, and went 1-for-3 with an RBI, in a 9-2 loss to the Willie Mays-led San Francisco Giants. Staub actually set the record for most games played in the majors as a teenager, with 150. Longtime fans will remember that Staub was one of the early stars of the Houston franchise.

He batted .273 with 57 home runs and 370 RBIs in six seasons with the Houston franchise. He spent two years with the 1962 expansion Colt .45s, and four with the Astros (through 1968), inhabiting the newly-built Astrodome.

Rising to Legendary Status

Staub, a six-time All-Star, finished his career with an overall .279 batting average, 2,716 hits, 499 doubles, .362 OBP, and 1466 RBIs. He was one of only four MLB players to have hit at least one home run prior to his 20th birthday and after his 40th birthday. Ty Cobb and Gary Sheffield were two of the others.

The burly right fielder/first baseman hit at least one home run in 23 consecutive seasons, third-best all-time behind Rickey Henderson (25) and Cobb (24).

Related: The Reluctant Legend: Jose Altuve and the Ty Cobb Connection

Before the March 29 Opening Day game in Arlington (won by the Astros over the Rangers, 4-1), a minute of silence was held in memory of Staub, the $100,000 Bonus Baby of the Colt .45s. He led the NL in doubles (44) in 1967 when he figured out, long before many, that the vastness of the Astrodome rewarded doubles and swallowed homers.

First Change of Scenery

After his breakout All-Star 1967 season, he repeated as a National League All-Star the next year (and three years after that), but yet, was traded after the 1968 season to the expansion Montreal Expos for pitchers Jack Billingham and Skip Guinn, outfielder Jesús Alou, and $100,000 after original trade piece Donn Clendenon refused to report to Houston and threatened to retire. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn stepped in and ordered Clendenon back to the Expos. Staub’s last MLB season was 1985 when he was 42.

Staub was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.

New York Welcomes the Philanthropic Redhead

But to only be aware and appreciate Staub for his on-field excellence misses half the story. Staub opened restaurants in New York City focusing on cuisine from his native New Orleans. He loved to cook, and enjoyed sharing, to anyone who would listen, his inherent love of both food and baseball.

Unknown to many was the fact that Staub was also a generous humanitarian who raised money for New York police and firefighters killed in action (founded in 1984), long before the 9/11 terror attacks. His altruistic efforts continued for many years afterward, also, as he helped raise well over $100 million for first responders’ families.

Rusty Staub was adored as “Le Grande Orange” in Montreal, taking the time to learn French so he could communicate with his new fans, and revered for his philanthropic work in New York during his nine years with the Mets.

But, Houston will remember Staub as one of the first legitimate power hitters for the Astros franchise, as well as a teammate to other memorable Astros position players, including Joe Morgan, Bob Aspromonte, Jimmy Wynn, Bob Watson, Sonny Jackson, Doug Rader, and many others.