Former Cards 3B Ken Reitz passes away at 69

Ken Reitz, a St. Louis Cardinals third baseman for most of the 1970s, died Wednesday, according to his son.

Reitz was 69.

Reitz played for the Cardinals from 1972-75 and 1977-80. The Cardinals traded him after the 1975 season to San Francisco for pitcher Pete Falcone. The Giants then traded him back to St. Louis after the ’76 season for pitcher Lynn McGlothen.

In his eight seasons as a Cardinal, Reitz batted .263 with 61 home runs and 454 RBIs. But he was known primarily for his defense, which earned him a Gold Glove at third base in 1975.

Reitz made the NL All-Star team in 1980, after which the Cardinals traded him to the Cubs in a deal that brought Hall of Fame reliever Bruce Sutter to St. Louis. He played for Chicago in 1981 and finished his career after playing seven games with the Pirates in 1982.

“On behalf of my dad and my family I’d like to thank the Cardinals organization for allowing my father to live out his dream,” Brett Reitz said in a statement released by the Cardinals. “Also, Cardinals fans for the endless support over the years. The only thing my dad loved as much as his family was baseball. He ate, slept, and breathed baseball and truly loved the city of St. Louis and the Cardinals. The loss of ‘Grandpa Kenny,’ as his six grandkids called him, is heartbreaking. He will be truly missed.”