Tim McCarver, the all-star catcher who rose to become one of baseball’s most prominent voices as an analyst, died from heart failure on Thursday at 81. The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced his death along with a tribute. “For six decades, Tim McCarver shared the spotlight when baseball took the national stage,” the Hall of Fame said in a statement. “First as a player and later as a broadcaster, McCarver–over and over again–wrote his name into the game’s history book.” McCarver debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1959 and went on to win two World Series with the team before featuring for the Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox. McCarver retired in 1980 and took his talents to the booth, where he shined for decades as a color analyst for individual teams and on the biggest stage of all—calling 24 World Series for ABC, CBS and Fox.