Former Washington Senator Harmon Killebrew, who hit 573 home runs — many of them of legendary length — over a 22-year career as one of the most feared sluggers in the majors, died today in Arizona. Killebrew had been fighting esophageal cancer, but had announced earlier this week that doctors had diagnosed his affliction as incurable.

While Killebrew is best-known for his tape-measure shots with Minnesota — where the original Washington Senators moved in 1960 — and for the urban legend that his is the stance immortalized on Major League Baseball’s logo, he’ll probably be most remembered for his refreshingly humble demeanor. Take, for example, this story in the Associated Press’ report on his death:

…it was his power with a baseball bat in his hands that got Killebrew noticed by Washington Senators scout Ossie Bluege.

On Killebrew’s website, Bluege recounts the story of how he signed the 17-year-old to a $30,000 contract in 1953.

“I waited for the rain to stop in Payette, Idaho and then he hit one a mile over the left field fence,” Bluege said. “I stepped it off the next morning and measured it at 435 feet. That convinced me.”

Killebrew didn’t just hit balls over the fence, he turned at-bats into longest-drive contests. He never worried much about his short game, preferring instead to swing for the fences, and wound up with a career .256 average.

“I didn’t think much about batting average when I was playing,” Killebrew said.

Killebrew was 74.