Former Cubs All-Star Beckert dies at 79

[April 13, 2020]    (Reuters) - Glenn Beckert, the Major League Baseball leader in runs scored in 1968, died on Sunday aged 79, the Chicago Cubs announced.

Beckert, an infielder, played nine seasons with the Cubs and two for the San Diego Padres.

He scored 98 runs for the Cubs in 1968, and was a Golden Glove award winner that season for his superior ability in the field at second base.

His form earned him selection for the All-Star game in the following four seasons.

Former Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Beckert was proud of his "minimal" strikeouts.

"We spoke about that often... an all-time Cub great," Maddon, who in 2016 guided the Cubs to their first World Series in more than a century, wrote on Twitter.

Beckert had a career batting average of .283 in 1320 games. He struck out only 243 times.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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