4-Time All Star Beckert Dies

CHICAGO (AP) – Glenn Beckert’s baseball exploits can be overshadowed by his four Hall of Fame teammates, but his contributions were vital to the success of the Chicago Cubs during the late 1960s and early 70s.  The four-time All-Star second baseman has died of natural causes at age 79, according to his family.  Beckert won a Gold Glove in 1968 before earning All-Star berths over the next four seasons. He had the best strikeout-to-at-bat ratio in the National League five times and finished third in average when he hit a career-high .342 in 1971.  Beckert teamed with shortstop Don Kessinger for his entire nine-year Cubs career to form one of the best double-play combinations in baseball.  Beckert compiled a .283 average in an 11-year career that began with the 1965 Cubs and ended with the 1975 Padres.