Harmon Killebrew dies of cancer

Harmon Killebrew, the Hall of Famer who developed the strength to hit home runs by lifting 10-gallon milk cans as an Idaho farmhand and grew up to be one of the most feared sluggers of his generation, died Tuesday at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., four days after announcing that he was ending treatment for esophageal cancer. He was 74.
His death was announced by the Minnesota Twins, which featured him as the centerpiece of their franchise through the 1960s and early '70s.
Mr. Killebrew said in December that he had begun treatment for the cancer at a Mayo Clinic branch near his home. On Friday, in a statement released by the Twins, he said that his doctors had told him his illness was incurable and that "with profound sadness" he was ending treatment.
"I have exhausted all options," he said.
Mr. Killebrew hit 573 home runs in 22 major-league seasons, starting with the Washington Senators and continuing with the organization when it moved to Minnesota and became the Twins. He set an American League record for right-handed batters that endured until Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees hit his 574th home run in 2009.
When Mr. Killebrew turned to broadcasting in 1975, only Babe Ruth had hit more home runs in the American League. At his death he was No. 11 in career home runs.
Signed out of an Idaho high school, he had a slow start, making his debut with the Senators in 1954 just six days away from his 18th birthday but playing little in his first few seasons, although he wore the uniform of one of baseball's lowly franchises. He had little speed, his career batting average was only .256 and he was never known for defensive play; he played first base, third base and the outfield, and never won a Gold Glove award.
But he led or tied AL hitters in home runs six times and hit 40 or more in eight seasons. He drove in 100 or more runs nine times. He was the AL Most Valuable Player in 1969, when he led the league in home runs with 49, tying his single-season high, and in RBIs with 140, his best.
He helped take the Twins to the pennant in 1965, when they lost to the Dodgers in the World Series, and to West division titles in 1969 and 1970. He played in 13 All-Star Games and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.
And he wowed the crowds when his 5-foot-11, 210-pound frame connected at the plate.
"They'd go out of any ballpark," said Lou Gorman, a former Boston Red Sox general manager who died in April. "Some of the ones that he hit would go out of the Grand Canyon."
In 1967, he hit the longest home run in the history of Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minn., a drive off the Angels' Lew Burdette that traveled some 530 feet.
After his playing days ended, he was a broadcaster for the A's and the Angels as well as the Twins, and he owned an insurance company and an auto dealership.