( CNN ) -- Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame center fielder Donald `` Duke '' Snider died Sunday at a convalescent hospital in Escondido , California . He was 84 , according to team officials . Snider 's career with the Dodgers spanned 16 seasons and included a half-dozen World Series appearances . Among them was the 1955 series , which the Brooklyn Dodgers won , as well as the 1959 series title , which Snider 's team captured after moving to California . A statement released by the Dodgers ' organization described Snider as one of `` the game 's more feared hitters . '' Snider led the major leagues in home runs and runs batted in during the 1950s . With a career total 389 home runs and 1,271 RBIs , the seven-time All-Star center fielder remains the Dodger franchise 's all-time leader in both categories . He slugged four homers apiece in the 1952 and 1955 World Series . Snider was nicknamed `` Duke '' by his father at age 5 . The former high school baseball , football and basketball standout was inducted in to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 and his Dodger number 4 uniform was retired . After retiring as a player , Snider returned as a minor league manager for the Dodgers . He later joined the Montreal Expos as batting coach and broadcaster . `` He was an extremely gifted talent and his defensive abilities were often overlooked because of playing in a small ballpark , Ebbets Field , '' said former Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully , referring to the Dodgers ' home in Brooklyn . `` When he had a chance to run and move defensively , he had the grace and the abilities of ( Joe ) DiMaggio and ( Willie ) Mays and of course , he was a World Series hero that will forever be remembered in the borough of Brooklyn . '' Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig called Snider , `` a key player during a special era in baseball , joining Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle to form New York City 's unparalleled triumvirate of center fielders -- Willie , Mickey and The Duke . ''
Sunday ` ` ' '' Snider died at noon Sunday . He is the Dodgers ' all - time leader in home runs and RBI . ' Vin Scully calls him a ` ` World Series hero ''