Here lies Don O'Riley, who pitched in the majors for two seasons. His playing career was cut short by a motorcycle accident, and his life, tragically, was cut short by gun violence. O’Riley played for the Kansas City Royals (1969-70). Donald Lee O’Riley was born on March 12, 1945 in Topeka, Kan. He went to … Continue reading Grave Story: Don O’Riley (1945-1997)
RIP to Mike McCormick, an All-Star pitcher and the first Cy Young Award winner in Giants history. He died on June 13 at his home in Cornelius, N.C. He was 81 years old and had been battling Parkinson's disease for several years. McCormick played for the New York/San Francisco Giants (1956-62, 1967-70), Baltimore Orioles (1963-64), … Continue reading Obituary: Mike McCormick (1938-2020)
RIP to Bob Oliver, a slugging corner infielder/outfielder who played for five teams in the 1960s and '70s. His son, Darren Oliver, also had a 20-year career as a pitcher and works in the Texas Rangers front office. Bob Oliver died on April 19 in Rio Linda, Calif. He was 77 years old. Oliver played … Continue reading Obituary: Bob Oliver (1943-2020)
RIP to Jim Frey, a manager who led two teams into the postseason and was named Manager of the Year for breaking the Cubs' long postseason dry spell. He died at his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., on April 12. He was 88 years old. Frey managed the Kansas City Royals (1980-81) and Chicago … Continue reading Obituary: Jim Frey (1931-2020)
RIP to Jarrod Patterson, a corner infielder who had two brief stints in the major leagues as well as a pretty substantial career in the minors and in indie ball. Patterson, 46, was killed in a car accident on March 11. He played for the Detroit Tigers (2001) and Kansas City Royals (2003). According to … Continue reading Obituary: Jarrod Patterson (1973-2020)
RIP to David Glass, the former owner of the Kansas City Royals. It was announced that Glass died on January 9 at the age of 84. He was being treated for pneumonia, according to his family. He not only kept the team in Kansas City after the death of founder Ewing Kauffman, but he helped … Continue reading Obituary: David Glass (1935-2020)
RIP to Andy Hassler, a left-handed pitcher who played for six different teams across 14 seasons in the majors. He died on December 25, 2019, at his home in Wickenburg, Arizona, at the age of 68. Hassler played for the California Angels (1971, 1973-76, 1980-83), Kansas City Royals (1976-78), Boston Red Sox (1978-79), New York … Continue reading Obituary: Andy Hassler (1951-2019)
RIP to Norm Angelini, who was a left-handed reliever in the majors for two years. He died on December 21, 2019 in Aurora, Colo., after battling cancer. He was 72 years old. Angelini played for the Kansas City Royals (1972-73). https://twitter.com/mangelini23/status/1208852402759028736?s=20 Norman Angelini was born in San Francisco on September 24, 1947. The southpaw started … Continue reading Obituary: Norm Angelini (1947-2019)
Here lies Ewing Kauffman, who founded the Kansas City Royals and guided the team for more than 20 years. The Missouri farmboy made his fortune in the pharmaceutical business and gave back to his Kansas City home, not only with a world champion baseball team but also with a philanthropic foundation that continues to operate … Continue reading Grave Story: Ewing Kauffman (1916-1993)
RIP to Jackie Hernandez, an infielder for 9 seasons in the majors and a part of the 1971 World Series champion Pirates. His teammate Manny Sanguillen announced on Twitter that Hernandez died on October 12 at the age of 79. His SABR biography, written by Jose Ramirez and Rory Costello, states that he was diagnosed … Continue reading Obituary: Jackie Hernandez (1940-2019)
