Randy Moffitt, brother of WTA legend Billie Jean King, dies at 76

Randy Moffitt, a longtime Major League Baseball pitcher and the younger brother of 12-time Grand Slam Billie Jean King, has died after an extended illness. He was 76.

Moffitt passed away Thursday in Long Beach, California, according to a representative of the family.

The Moffitt family’s sporting legacy stretched across two arenas. While King built the WTA and helped transform women’s tennis into a global force for equality, her younger brother carved out a career of his own on the baseball field.

Drafted in the first round in 1970, Moffitt became one of the San Francisco Giants’ most reliable relievers of the 1970s, pitching in 534 games over 12 major league seasons with the Giants, Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays. He recorded 96 saves with a 3.65 ERA, later earning a place on the Giants’ Wall of Fame in 2008 and the Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.

Born Oct. 13, 1948, in Long Beach to Bill and Betty Moffitt, Randy and Billie Jean grew up in what King has called “a loving home,” where both siblings developed their competitive spirit early on.

Reflecting on their bond in an Instagram post 20 weeks ago, King wrote:

“My brother Randy Moffitt and I are alike in so many ways. We were both competitive kids, right from the start. He enjoyed a great career as an MLB pitcher, and spent most of his time with the San Francisco Giants. We were so fortunate to grow up in a loving home, and are very close today. Love you, baby brother.”

Moffitt is survived by two daughters, Miranda Harrah (and her husband, Rusty) and Alysha Gosse (and her husband, James), four grandchildren and by King and her wife, Ilana Kloss.