Here lies Dean Chance, who was a two-time All-Star and a Cy Young Award winner. That’s when he wasn’t making headlines for… other reasons. Chance pitched for the Los Angeles/California Angels (1961-66), Minnesota Twins (1967-69), Cleveland Indians (1970), New York Mets (1970) and Detroit Tigers (1971). Wilmer Dean Chance was born on June 1, 1941 … Continue reading Grave Story: Dean Chance (1941-2015)
RIP to former All-Star outfielder Claudell Washington, who died on June 10 at the age of 65. According to his former teammate John D'Acquisto and PastPros, a company that represented him for autographs, Washington died from prostate cancer. He went public with his battle in 2018, when he announced he had discontinued treatment. Washington played … Continue reading Obituary: Claudell Washington (1954-2020)
RIP to Tony Fernández, an All-Star and Gold Glove infielder with a 17-year career in the majors. He died on February 15 at the age of 57 after suffering from chronic kidney problems, a recent bout with pneumonia and a stroke. Fernandez, who announced in 2017 that he had Polycistic Kidney Disease, was placed in … Continue reading Obituary: Tony Fernández (1962-2020)
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 Francisco "Paquín" Estrada, who served as a catcher for one game for the New York Mets in 1971. He died on December 9 from heart problems; he had been hospitalized since at least November 28 after suffering a heart attack. Estrada was 71 years old. Though his time in the United States is … Continue reading Obituary: Francisco Estrada (1948-2019)
RIP to John Strohmayer, who had a 5-year career as a relief pitcher in the early 1970s. According to Canadian journalist/author Danny Gallagher, he died on November 28 at the age of 73. Gallagher was given the news by Strohmayer's friend and former teammate Steve Renko, who said the pitcher had been in intensive care … Continue reading Obituary: John Strohmayer (1946-2019)
RIP to Bob "Rocky" Johnson, an infielder and standout pinch-hitter who played for a decade in the majors in the 1960s. Former teammate Jim Palmer reported on Twitter that Johnson, 83, died in Minnesota. Wikipedia notes that Johnson died on November 12 from Parkinson's disease. Johnson played for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1960, 1969-70), Washington … Continue reading Obituary: Bob Johnson (1936-2019)
RIP to Sammy Taylor, a catcher for 6 seasons in the late '50s and early '60s. He died on October 8 at the age of 86 in his home town of Woodruff, S.C. Taylor played for the Chicago Cubs (1958-62), New York Mets (1962-63), Cincinnati Reds (1963) and Cleveland Indians (1963). Samuel Taylor was born … Continue reading Obituary: Sammy Taylor (1933-2019)
RIP to Jose Moreno, who played for three MLB teams in three seasons in the 1980s. He died on September 6 at the Hospital General Plaza de la Salud in the Dominican Republic. He was 61 years old. According to the news site Liston Diario (in Spanish), Moreno had suffered from lung problems and had … Continue reading Obituary: Jose Moreno (1957-2019)
R.I.P. to Al Jackson an original member of the New York Mets and the best pitcher on a string of awful Mets teams. He died on August 19 at the age of 83. Jackson pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1959, 1961), Mets (1962-65, 1968-69), St. Louis Cardinals (1966-67) and Cincinnati Reds (1969). https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1163519804034211840?s=20 The Mets … Continue reading Obituary: Al Jackson (1935-2019)
