RIP to Pedro Gonzalez, an infielder-outfielder who was the first Dominican-born player in Yankees history. He died on January 10 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, at the age of 83. Cause of death, according to this story, was from complications of diabetes. He had suffered from the disease for several years and at … Continue reading Obituary: Pedro Gonzalez (1937-2021)
RIP to Tom Acker, who pitched for four seasons in the majors in the 1950s. He was also a big part of the baseball scene in his home of New Jersey after leaving professional baseball. He died on January 4 in his home in Narvon, Pa. He was 90 years old. Acker played for the … Continue reading Obituary: Tom Acker (1930-2021)
RIP to Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, who guided the Dodgers to four National League pennants and two World Series titles in 20 years of leading the team. Over the course of his seven-decade career as a player, scout, coach, manager and front-office executive, Lasorda became one of the game's biggest personalities. He died … Continue reading Obituary: Tommy Lasorda (1927-2021)
Here lies Ernie Diehl, who played professional baseball as a hobby; he was independently wealthy and didn’t need to play ball, and he reportedly didn’t take a paycheck when he did. Diehl played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1903-04) and Boston Beaneaters/Doves (1906, 1909). Ernest Guy Diehl was born in Cincinnati on October 2, 1877. His … Continue reading Grave Story: Ernie Diehl (1877-1958)
RIP to George Spriggs, who came into professional baseball in the waning days of the Negro Leagues and broke into Major League Baseball as a 28-year-old rookie. He died on December 22 at the age of 83. At the time of his death, Spriggs was living in Prince Frederick, Md. He played for the Pittsburgh … Continue reading Obituary: George Spriggs (1937-2020)
Here lies Carson Bigbee, an outfielder whose clutch hit helped win the 1925 World Series for the Pirates. He was also part of a pretty notorious player mutiny that ended his big-league career. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1916 until 1926. Carson Lee Bigbee was born in Lebanon, Ore., on March 31, 1895, … Continue reading Grave Story: Carson Bigbee (1895-1964)
Given the death count of 2020, writing stories about the gravesites that I've visited has had to take a back seat to keeping up with current obituaries. That's unfortunate, because it's a lot of fun to dig through newspaper archives to glean information about a forgotten outfielder or someone who pitched in a single game. … Continue reading A year’s worth of baseball history: the best of RIP Baseball’s Grave Stories
RIP to Derek Aucoin, a Quebec native who pitched in two games for the Montreal Expos in 1996. He died on December 26 after battling brain cancer. He was 50 years old. After his baseball career ended, Aucoin had a successful career as a baseball instructor and a sports analyst. According to his family, Aucoin … Continue reading Obituary: Derek Aucoin (1970-2020)
RIP to Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, one of the best knuckleball pitchers in baseball history and a 300-game winner. He died in his sleep on December 26 at the age of 81 after battling cancer the last few years of his life. No place of death was immediately available, but he lived in Flowery … Continue reading Obituary: Phil Niekro (1939-2020)
As 2020 comes to a close, it's a good time to look back on some of those notables in the baseball world who left us in 2020. It's been a particularly tough year, as more than 110 ex-MLB ballplayers passed away, as well as a number of managers, executives, Negro League ballplayers and All American … Continue reading Remembering those we lost in 2020
