Heartfelt condolences for baseball star Orlando Cepeda who died at the age of 86

Orlando Cepeda, the basketball legend who was one of the first Puerto Ricans to shine in the major leagues, has died at the age of 86.

The San Francisco Giants and his family announced his death Friday evening, and a moment of silence was held at Oracle Stadium during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“Our beloved Orlando passed away peacefully at home this evening, listening to his favorite music and surrounded by his loved ones,” his wife, Nydia, said in a statement released through the team. “We are relieved that he is at peace.”

Cepeda’s death comes just 10 days after fellow Giants Hall of Famer Willie Mays died at the age of 93.

“Man, what another huge hit,” said New York Giants manager Bob Melvin, who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area rooting for the team. “Another unbelievable, beloved figure here. A statue in front of us. The numbers he’s put up, there’s a lot of “The legends are here and he’s definitely in the middle of it all, to be that close to Willie is amazing.”

Cepeda, a slugging shortstop nicknamed “Baby Bull,” played for the Giants as well as St. Louis, Atlanta, Oakland, Boston and Kansas City. In the spring of 1969, Cepeda was traded by the Cardinals to the Braves in exchange for Joe Torre.

Cepeda, a seven-time All-Star who played in three World Series, was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1958 with San Francisco and the NL MVP in 1967 with St. Louis.

“Orlando Cepeda’s unabashed love for baseball shone through his extraordinary playing career and later as one of the game’s enduring ambassadors,” Hall of Fame President Jane Forbes Clark said. “We will miss his amazing smile at Hall of Fame Weekend in Cooperstown, where his spirit will forever shine, and we extend our deepest condolences to the Cepeda family.”