A solid first-baseman nicknamed "Stretch," Willie McCovey's 521 home runs propelled him to the Hall of Fame in 1986, his first year of eligibility.  In his debut on July 30, 1959, McCovey stroked two triples and two singles off of Robin Roberts in a 7-2 victory over Philadelphia at Seals Stadium.  Although he played in just 54 games that year, he hit .354, winning the National League Rookie of the Year honor.  His best year was 1969, when McCovey batted .320, hit 45 HRs, and had 126 RBIs, earning him the National League's MVP award. He hit 18 career grand slams, a NL record, including three (3) pitch hitting. Twice McCovey hit three (3) consecutive home runs in one game. McCovey led the NL in home runs 3 times (1963, 1968-69) and played in 6 All-star games. He was a well-liked ballplayer with recognized leadership abilities. Career totals include 1345 walks, 1229 runs scored and 1555 RBI's.   After playing most of his career with San Francisco, the Giants retired his number 44 and named the water behind the right-field wall "McCovey Cove" after him.