Hall of Fame first baseman Orlando Cepeda, who was unanimously voted the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1967 when he led the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series victory, died Friday at age 86. The announcement came from the San Francisco Giants, for whom Cepeda played the first nine seasons of a 17-year career that began in 1958. The Giants held a moment of silence before the sixth inning of Friday's 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cepeda hit 379 home runs, scored 1,365 runs and batted .297 with an .849 OPS while playing primarily for the Giants, Cardinals and Atlanta Braves before finishing his career with the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals. Cepeda, a native of Puerto Rican origin, won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1958, the Giants' first season in San Francisco after leaving the Polo Grounds in New York City. He batted .312 with 25 home runs, 96 RBIs and an NL-high 38 doubles in 148 games. Teammate Willie Mays said of Cepeda's rookie season, “He annoys every pitcher in the league. He's strong, he hits all the fields and he makes all the plays. He's the most relaxed freshman player I've ever seen.” Cepeda's death came just 10 days after May's death on June 18. Cepeda finished second in MVP voting in 1961, when he hit a league-high 46 home runs and a major league-high 142 RBIs. He was also an 11-time All-Star, earning eight of those honors in four consecutive seasons (1959-62) when the majors had two such games. Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said in a statement, “This is truly a sad day for the San Francisco Giants. For all of Orlando's extraordinary accomplishments in baseball, it was his generosity, kindness and joy that set him apart. Nobody loved the game more.” Cepeda played only 33 games in 1965 and 19 in early 1966 due to injuries, and in the meantime Willie McCovey had established himself as the Giants' first baseman. Cepeda asked for a transfer and was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Ray Sadecki on May 8, 1966. The Cardinals won 101 games in 1967 and the World Series title in seven games over the Boston Red Sox. St. Louis returned to the World Series the following season, but lost to the Detroit Tigers in seven games. Cepeda was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999. – Field Level Media