Official Baseball In Memoriam Thread

[Judge Jude]

weird but true:

outlived by the widows of Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, and Buddy Holly - all of whose husbands died before Clemente did.

[revo]

Sometime Vintage Draft selection Irv Noren passed away at age 94. RIP.

[madducks]

Ryan Costello, an infielder prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization, was found dead in New Zealand at age 23. RIP



Costello had arrived in Auckland last week to play his first season with the Auckland Tuatara, a team in the Australian Baseball League. In a news release, the Tuatara said "preliminary indications suggest he died of natural causes."

[Judge Jude]

Sometime Vintage Draft selection Irv Noren passed away at age 94. RIP.

Noren played minor league pro basketball (yes, basketball) with Jackie Robinson for the Los Angeles Red Devils, and seemed headed to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950 - except that the team had to sell 10 players to cover losses for their failed All-America Football Conference team of the same name.

He got traded to the Yankees to start 1952 (DiMaggio had retired and Mantle was hurt).

In 1955, he got thrown out of a game for arguing with an umpire and was replaced by Elston Howard - who thereby became the first player of color to play in a regular-season Yankees game.

After 1956, he was assigned to the Yankees' AL farm team in Kansas City, called the Athletics - really the castoffs sent away so the Yankees could take better players from them. then on to the Cardinals, Cubs, and finally the Dodgers.

you can see him on old video as the third base coach on the 1972-73 World Series winning Athletics (of all franchises). he got fired in mid-1974 so he didn't "three-peat."

then he owned a bowling alley (later known as Astro Bowl in Clifton, NJ), liquor store, and sporting good stores - and bought some thoroughbred horses and hung around the track all day at Del Mar or Santa Anita. had a wife of 60 years, 4 kids, and at least 15 grandkids and six great-grandkids.

a guy could do worse.

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/6d0657d1

[revo]

Seymour Siwoff, owner of the Elias Sports Bureau — the official statistician of MLB among other leagues — died at age 99.

As a teen, I eagerly awaited the day the Elias Baseball Analyst hit bookstore shelves in February. In those olden days, it was literally the only place to get in-depth prior season stats like splits. In college, my buddy put “Tome” stickers on my Elias collection, lol.

[rhd]

I'm just now learning this but Tom Phoebus died on 9/5/2019. Played in majors for 7 yrs, mostly w the Orioles. I remember him fondly in the O's rotation in their heyday. I remember he came up in September 1966, the year the O's won their 1st WS title, but he didnt make the WS roster. He pitched a no-hitter in 1968. Very small RHer at 5'8". Finished w a 3.33 ERA and a W/L rcd of 56-52. RIP.

[madducks]

I'm just now learning this but Tom Phoebus died on 9/5/2019. Played in majors for 7 yrs, mostly w the Orioles. I remember him fondly in the O's rotation in their heyday. I remember he came up in September 1966, the year the O's won their 1st WS title, but he didnt make the WS roster. He pitched a no-hitter in 1968. Very small RHer at 5'8". Finished w a 3.33 ERA and a W/L rcd of 56-52. RIP.

[madducks]

Former New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen, who in 1956 pitched the only perfect game in World Series history, has died at age 90. RIP.

[revo]

Andy Hassler, who pitched 14 years primarily for the Red Sox & Angels, and whose baseball card I'd swear I got in every pack I bought, died at age 68. RIP.

[revo]

David Glass, who owned the KC Royals from 2000 until this past November, died at age 84.

[revo]

Roger Kahn, sportwriter who wrote "The Boys of Summer," died at age 92. RIP.

[Davros]

Former Rockies, Brewers, and Cubs OF/1B Angel Echevarria passed away at age 48.

https://www.newstimes.com/sports/article/Former-Bassick-MLB-standout-Angel-Echeverria-15040787.php?src=nthpcp

[revo]

Longtime Blue Jays shortstop Tony Fernandez died from complications of a stroke and kidney failure at age 57. RIP.

Fernandez was included in one of the most franchise-altering deals of all time:
December 5, 1990: Traded by the Toronto Blue Jays with Fred McGriff to the San Diego Padres for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter.

[Roy Hobbs]

Longtime Blue Jays shortstop Tony Fernandez died from complications of a stroke and kidney failure at age 57. RIP.

Fernandez was included in one of the most franchise-altering deals of all time:
December 5, 1990: Traded by the Toronto Blue Jays with Fred McGriff to the San Diego Padres for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter.

ouch!!

[TranaGreg]

so many memories ... here's one of my favs: I'm sitting at the horrible exhibition stadium, Tony is up batting right handed, he has two strikes on him, calls time and steps out of the box - except the ump is saying something and not getting out of his crouch - presumably that the pitcher had started his windup. So in one motion Tony steps back in the box with his right foot and swings as his left foot is coming back in the box, and laces a triple far down the right field line. It was beautiful.

He was one of the first truly great defensive players we had up here. So much fun to be a fan of.