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By Associated PressThe former Phillie and Met made the phrase "You Gotta Believe" a motto.
PHILADELPHIA - Tug McGraw, the relief pitcher who coined the phrase "You Gotta Believe" with the Mets and later closed out the Phillies' only World Series championship, died Monday. He was 59. Mr. McGraw died of brain cancer at the home of his son, country music star Tim McGraw, outside Nashville, according to Laurie Hawkins, who was speaking for the family.
The elder McGraw had battled the disease since March when he had surgery for a malignant tumor.
Mr. McGraw's illness came as a shock to fans and friends alike in the spring. He was at Phillies training camp in Clearwater as a special instructor, looking fine and acting as funny as ever. Then, he suddenly was hospitalized March 12.
"We lost a part of Mets history tonight," team owner Fred Wilpon said. "Tug was a battler on and off the field. I know he fought the disease with every ounce of energy he had. We'll all miss him dearly."
Especially former Phillies teammate and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.
"He put up a gallant fight," Schmidt said. "Publicly, he never let on that he had gotten a raw deal. He was Tug through the entire thing. As he always said, "I front-loaded my life, just like my contract.' "
Bob Boone, Phillies catcher from 1972-81, remained a close friend, too.
"I was real pleased I was able to be with him a little bit the last couple of months," Boone said from his home in Anaheim, Calif. "All of a sudden it hit and he went real quick, which probably is a blessing. I know he got more living out of his 59 years than anybody."
Mr. McGraw stayed in Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater after he fell ill in March and had surgery at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. The surgery left a horseshoe-shaped scar on his scalp.
"I know it's going to happen to me. You never know why or when or how, but you know something's going to get you. "Why me?' is whining. I'm not a whiner," Mr. McGraw told Times staff writer Bruce Lowitt in 2003. "I don't know why most people don't have that attitude. "Why me?' Well, why not you?"
Mr. McGraw participated in the closing ceremonies for Veterans Stadium, which will be demolished next month. During the program, he re-enacted his final pitch of the 1980 World Series, in which he struck out Kansas City's Willie Wilson for the title.
He popularized the phrase "You Gotta Believe" during the Mets' 1973 National League championship season and carried the slogan through his illness, vowing he'd be there next month to push the button to bring down the Vet.
A left-hander who threw a screwball, Mr. McGraw could be a bit of screwball himself.
His playful personality often overshadowed his talent. He was an outstanding big-game pitcher during his 19-year career.
In 26 postseason games, he had a 2.23 ERA and was 3-3 with eight saves.
Mr. McGraw was 96-92 with a 3.14 ERA and 180 saves and was a two-time All-Star. He made his major-league debut with the Mets in 1965 at age 20 and finished with the Phillies in '84.
In addition to his son Tim, Mr. McGraw is survived by sons Mark and Matthew McGraw; a daughter, Cari Velardo; and four grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
- Information from Times files was used in this report.