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Former Cubs pitcher Lindy McDaniel, who spent 21 MLB seasons as a reliever, dies at 84

Lindy McDaniel, an All-Star reliever who appeared in nearly 1,000 major league games, has died. He was 84. He spent three of his 21 seasons with the Cubs.

Bill Chambers, longtime friend and fellow elder at the Lavon Church of Christ in Lavon, Texas, said McDaniel died of COVID-19 on Saturday night at an acute care facility in Carrollton, a Dallas suburb.

Steady as a long man and closer, McDaniel pitched in 987 big league games, trailing only Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm when he retired in 1975.

McDaniel debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals as a 19-year-old in 1955 and won 15 games as a starter two years later before transitioning to the bullpen for the bulk of his career.