Former catcher Porter found dead in park

SUGAR CREEK, Mo. — Darrell Porter, a catcher for the Kansas City Royals from 1977 to 1980, was found dead last night in a park, Sugar Creek, Mo., police reported. The cause of death was not immediately known, but police said there was no evidence of foul play.

Police arrived at the scene after a passing motorist saw Porter lying next to his car in La Benite Park. The Jackson County medical examiner will perform an autopsy.

Porter, 50, lived in Lee's Summit, according to driver's license records.

Art Stewart, the senior adviser to Royals General Manager Allard Baird, said his death was a shock.

"We heard he went out to get a newspaper and went to the park to read it," said Stewart, reached at the Royals' hotel in New York. "That's the only thing we knew. It's very, very upsetting."

Porter hit .271 during his career in Kansas City, and twice was an All-Star with the Royals. He also played for St. Louis and Texas before retiring in 1987.

John Wathan, a teammate of Porter's, said he saw Porter three or four weeks.

"It was shocking, Darrell was only 50 years old and a longtime friend," Wathan said. "He went through a lot of adversity early in his career, got beyond that and became a great team player. But beyond that, he was a great family man and he worked with charities, worked with children, was a very caring man. I'll just have a lot of great memories about him."

Porter's best season as a Royal came in 1979, when he batted .291 and drove in 112 runs. He also led the league in walks, with 121.

In spring training in 1980, Porter checked himself into a drug-and-alcohol rehabilitation center.

Porter filed for free agency in November after the 1980 season, and Whitey Herzog, St. Louis manager who managed Porter in Kansas City, snapped him up. Porter was the MVP of the 1982 World Series for St. Louis, and caught for the Cardinals when they lost to the Royals in the '85 World Series.

Porter put the drug and alcohol problems behind him, and ended his career in 1987 after two seasons with Texas.