ST. LOUIS — One of the St. Louis Cardinals' key bullpen contributors in the late '70s and early '80s has died.
Former right-handed reliever Mark Littell died on Monday at the age of 69, the team announced on Twitter.
A Cape Girardeau, Missouri native, Littell spent nine years in the majors with the Kansas City Royals and Cardinals, coming to St. Louis ahead of the 1978 season.
Littell spent five years with the Cardinals, appearing in 193 games while compiling a 3.31 ERA and 233 strikeouts. Littell pitched in 20 and third innings in the regular season for the eventual World Series champion Cardinals in 1982.
Littell was recently in town for the 40th anniversary of the 1982 team on Aug. 13 and was part of the motorcade around the Busch Stadium warning track.
In his nine years in the majors, Littell had a career 3.32 ERA, 56 saves and a 32-31 record.