Johnny Pesky, who spent the bulk of his Major League Baseball career with the Boston Red Sox, and for whom the right-field foul pole at the team's fabled Fenway Park is named, died on Monday aged 92.

Born John Michael Paveskovich, Pesky began his MLB career with the Red Sox in 1942 and finished third in American League Most Valuable Player voting that year, before missing the next three seasons for military service during the second world war.He retired in 1954, after a 10-season playing career that included stints with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators, but served as a manager, coach, broadcaster and ambassador during a relationship with the Red Sox that spanned six decades.

"He loved the game and he loved the fans – and we loved him," Boston mayor Thomas Menino said in a statement. "His dedication to the sport and his passion to improve the game through the mentorship of young players will be sorely missed."

Pesky, whose number six was retired by the Red Sox in 2008, was among over 200 former Boston players on the field at Fenway Park in April, when the team celebrated the ballpark's 100th birthday.

The right-field pole at Fenway Park was named after the former infielder, after a Boston broadcaster once claimed Pesky wrapped a ball around the pole to lead his team to victory.