Philadelphia ? Tug McGraw, the zany relief pitcher who coined the phrase “You Gotta Believe” with the New York Mets and later closed out the Philadelphia Phillies’ only World Series championship, died Monday. He was 59.

McGraw died of brain cancer at the home of his son, singer Tim McGraw, outside of Nashville, Tenn., according to a family spokesperson. He had been battling the disease since March when he underwent surgery for a malignant tumor.

McGraw participated in the closing ceremonies for Veterans Stadium, which will be demolished next month. During the program, he re-enacted his final pitch of the 1980 World Series, striking out Kansas City’s Willie Wilson for the title.

McGraw’s illness came as a shock last spring. He was at Phillies’ training camp in Clearwater, Fla., as a special instructor, looking fine and acting as funny as ever, but was suddenly hospitalized March 12.

“We lost a part of Mets history tonight,” Mets owner Fred Wilpon said. “Tug was a battler on and off the field. I know he fought the disease with every ounce of energy he had. We’ll all miss him dearly.”

He popularized the phrase “You Gotta Believe” during the Mets’ 1973 World Championship season and carried the slogan through his illness, vowing he’d be on hand next month to push the button to bring down the Vet.

In 26 postseason games, he had a 2.23 ERA and was 3-3 with eight saves.