A Reverse Chronology of Ten Significant Baseball Tragedies

WARNING: The following article contains content that may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.

1. JOSE FERNANDEZ (July 31, 1992 -September 25, 2016, Age 24, Right-Handed Pitcher, Miami Marlins)  

Cause of Death: Injuries sustained as the result of a boating accident off Miami Beach, Florida

In many ways baseball, like other forms of sports and entertainment, is a microcosm of the world in which we inhabit where people sadly die tragically every day in a variety of ways. The tragic and untimely death of Jose Fernandez (and his two friends) this past weekend when their 32 foot sailing vessel struck a jetty of rocks off Miami Beach is the latest tragedy that has rocked the baseball world. What makes Fernandez's death at the tender age of 24 even more tragic is the fact that he was one of the game's biggest and brightest stars. His family, friends, teammates, organization and baseball never forget the impact that he had during his short life, and, even shorter time dominating the game of baseball, a fact made evident by not only the tributes that have poured in from around baseball like a stream of tears running running down's one face, but by the Miami Marlins organization's decision to retire his Number 16 after his teammates wore the aforementioned last night during their emotional victory over the New York Mets to pull within four games of the second NL Wild Card spot.

While there have sadly been too many tragic Major League Baseball deaths over the years to include in such a blog post/column as this, here are nine additional baseball tragedies that I have either lived through or have heard about due to the legendary status of the players whose lives were taken too soon: either during or shortly after their on field big league playing careers had ended. I hereby dedicate this blog post to all of those former Major League Baseball players, their families, friends and fans whose lives ended prematurely. Rest in peace.

2. Oscar Taveras (June 19, 1992 – October 26, 2014, Age 22, Right Fielder, St. Louis Cardinals)

Cause of Death: Injuries sustained as a result of a car accident in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

According to Wikipedia, "on October 26, 2014, Taveras and his girlfriend, Edilia Arvelo, both died in a car accident on the Sosúa-Cabarete freeway in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, in which his red Chevrolet Camaro ran off the road and hit a tree. Taveras suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead while receiving care at Sosúa Cabarete Medical Center. Arvelo suffered injuries to the head and to the chest. The accident occurred at 7:40 PM ET just before the start of Game 5 of the 2014 World Series." Billed as a Dominican-Canadian Major League Baseball player by Wikipedia, Taveras drew comparisons to fellow country man Vladimir Guerrero (Expos, Angels, Rangers) for both his offensive (smooth swing) and defensive skills (strong arm). He was just 22 years old.

3. Nick Adenhart (August 24, 1986-April 9, 2009, 22, Right-Handed Pitcher, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)

Cause of Death: Injuries sustained as a result of a drunk driving automobile accident in Orange County, CA

Just after 12:00 am local time on April 9, 2009, a red Toyota Sienna minivan not only ran a red light, but hit a gray gray Mitsubishi Eclipse, causing it to crashing into a telephone pole. Aidenhart, who was a passenger in the Eclipse, initially survived the crash that claimed the lives of driver Courtney Stewart and passenger Henry Pearson; they were pronounced dead on the scene. Along with another passenger (Jon Wilhite), Aidenhart was transported to hospital where Aidenhart died as a result of his injuries. As for Wilhite, despite suffering "internal decapitation and...undergoing five hours of surgery to reattach his skull to his spine six days after the crash," he miraculously survived the crash that took the life of a 22 year-old pitcher who, as chance would have it, was the Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher on April 8, 2009. According to Wikipedia, Andrew Thomas Gallo, the drunk driver who fled the scene, he "was convicted on three counts of second-degree murder, two counts of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, and one felony count of hit-and-run. A bench trial found Gallo guilty of driving on a suspended license. On December 22, 2010, Gallo was sentenced to 51-years-to-life in jail."

4. Cory Lidle (March 22, 1972-October 11, 2006, Age 34, Right-Handed Pitcher, New York Yankees)

Cause of Death: Injuries sustained in a plane crash in New York City's Upper East Side

According to Wikipedia, ten days after what would be his last Major League appearance for the New York Yankees, Cory Lidle and Tyler Stanger, Lidle's co-pilot/flight instructor, "...were flying a Cirrus SR20 airplane when it crashed into the Belaire Apartments complex at 527 East 72nd Street on New York City's Upper East Side, killing them both.The plane was flying above the East River past the Queensboro Bridge toward restricted airspace. A strong wind from the east due to an incoming front caused the plane to be blown into the building as it was making a 180-degree turn. In addition to the deaths of Lidle and Stanger, 21 were injured in the accident, about half of them New York City firefighters. Lidle was the third Yankee to die in a plane crash. The prior two were catcher Thurman Munson (on August 2, 1979-more on him a bit later) and pitcher Jim Hardin (on March 9, 1991)"

I recall that Lidle's crash, which occurred five years and one month to the today after the tragic events of 9/11, was initially thought to be another terrorist attack on the city of New York. That theory was soon discarded once it was learned a) who was involved (Lidle and Stanger) and b) that their aircraft was not a commercial airliner like the ones utilized by Muslim extremists during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on NYC's Twin Towers.

5. Ken Caminiti (April 21, 1963-October 10, 2004, Age 41, Third Baseman, Astros, Padres, Rangers, Braves)

Cause of Death: Acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and opiates in Bronx, New York.

On October 10, 2005, three-time Gold Glove and one-time National League MVP Award Winner Ken Caminiti died at a Bronx hospital due to cardiac arrest precipitated by cocaine use. According to Wikipedia, "in the early afternoon of October 10, 2004, Caminiti was in the apartment of his friend in The Bronx, New York City, after being in the bathroom to have a speed ball of cocaine and heroin, Caminiti came out and collapsed on the floor. At 3:36 pm a 911 call was made while Caminiti was going into cardiac arrest. Caminiti died...at 6:45 pm."

An autopsy would later reveal that Caminiti's death was the result of "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and opiates." Additional contributing factors included coronary artery disease and cardiac hypertrophy (an enlarged heart). Ten years before (1994), Padres' pitcher Eric Show died of a drug overdose.

6. Darryl Kile (December 2, 1968-June 22, 2002, Age 33, Right-Handed Pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals)

Cause of Death: Coronary Artery Disease, Chicago, Illinois

On June 18, 2002, Darryl Kile made what turned out to be his final start for the St. Louis Cardinals. Just four days later while in Chicago, Illinois for a series with the Cardinals' arch rivals, the Chicago Cubs, Cardinals' personnel observed that Kile did not report to Wrigley Field on June 22, 2002.  Once notified, hotel staff discovered Kile dead in bed. An autopsy determined that Kile, who apparently died in his sleep, died as a result of a 90 per cent blockage in two of his coronary arteries. Kile was only 33 years of age. Kile was the not the first big league/former big league baseball player who died prematurely of coronary artery disease. Sadly, he wouldn't be the last either. In 1993,  former Los Angeles Dodgers' right-handed Hall of Fame pitcher and Dodgers' broadcaster Don Drysdale was found dead in his Montreal hotel room on July 3, 1993 at the age of 56. Just over two years following the June 2002 death of Kile, former Toronto Blue Jays' southpaw and broadcaster John Cerutti was found dead in his Toronto hotel room prior to the start of the final game of the 2004 MLB regular season (October 3, 2004). An autopsy revealed that Cerutti died of "natural causes due to a ventricular arrhythmia." He was just 44 years old.

7. Indians' Pitchers Steve Olin (October 4, 1965-March 22, 1993) & Tim Crews (April 3, 1961-March 23, 1993)

Cause of Death: Injuries Sustained from a boating accident in Little Lake Nellie, Clermont, Florida

In an accident eerily similar to that which tragically claimed the lives of Jose Fernandez and his two pals just two days ago, Cleveland Indians' relief pitchers Steve Olin, 27 and Tim Crews, 31, were killed in a boating accident in Little Lake Nellie, Clermont, Florida during Spring Training (Grapefruit League) in March of 1993. The key differences between these two tragic boating accidents was a) that Fernandez's accident was only the result of high speed (and not alcohol as the Olin-Crews tragedy was);  b) all three of the people on board the boat which claimed Fernandez's life perished in the crash while Bob Ojeda managed to survive the crash which took the lives of fellow Indians' teammates Olin and Crews and c) the Fernandez boat hit a jetty while Olin-Crews hit a pier.

According to Wikipedia, Tim Crews, the sailing vessel's pilot at the time it struck a pier, was legally intoxicated while Olin and Ojeda possessed only "negligible traces of alcohol in their bodies." Wikipedia goes on to say that their crash "was the first death of active major league players since Thurman Munson in 1979." As for Ojeda, a member of the 1986 World Series Champions, the New York Mets, he continued to pitch after this tragedy nearly took his life, retiring in 1994 after spending a season with the Yankees. According to Ojeda, who returned late in 1993 with the Tribe, the fact that he was slouching in his seat at the time of the boating accident saved his life.

8. Donnie Moore (February 13, 1954-July 18, 1989, Age 35, Right-Handed Pitcher, Angels/Royals)

Cause of Death: Self-Inflicted Gun Shot Wound/Suicide, Anaheim, California

Donnie Moore, a 13 year Major League veteran pitcher who is best known for surrendering an important home run to late Boston Red Sox outfielder during Dave Henderson the 1986 American League Championship Series, was signed by the Kansas City Royals following his release from the California Angels in 1988. Unfortunately for Moore, he never pitched for the KC Royals' Major League team during the 1989 season. He was subsequently released in June of 1989 by the Royals' organization. The following month, Moore shot his wife three times during a domestic dispute before turning the gun on himself while one of his children (a son) was still in the Moore home. As for Moore's wife Tonya, she was driven to the hospital by their 17 year old daughter Demetria Moore.Tonya Moore survived her wounds while her husband Donnie Moore did not. He was 35 years old.

9. Thurman Munson (June 7, 1947-August 2, 1979, Age 32, Catcher, New York Yankees)

Cause of Death: Injuries sustained (asphyxiation) as the result of an airplane crash in Green Township, Ohio)

Yankees' captain, Thurman Munson, an 11 year Major League veteran, was a seven-time American League All-Star, a two-time World Series champion, an AL Rookie of the Year, AL MVP and a three-time AL Gold Glove Award Winner heading into the 1979 season. Munson, who was overlooked for the 1979 All-Star team, considered retirement at the conclusion of the season as longed to be closer to his family. According to Wikipedia, 

"Munson had been flying for over a year and purchased a Cessna Citation I/SP jet so he could fly home to his family in Canton (Ohio) on off-days. On August 2, 1979, he was practicing takeoffs and landings at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport with friend Jerry Anderson and flight instructor Dave Hall. On the fourth touch-and-go landing, Munson allowed the aircraft to sink too low before increasing engine power, causing the jet to clip a tree and fall short of the runway. The plane then hit a tree stump and burst into flames on Greensburg Rd., 870 feet short of runway 19. Hall and Anderson both survived the accident. Hall received burns on his arms and hands, and Anderson received burns on his face, arm and neck. Munson suffered a broken neck and would have most likely been a quadriplegic had he lived. Munson died of asphyxiation due to the inhalation of super-heated air and toxic substances. The FAA investigation into the crash stated that the probable cause was '...the pilot's failure to recognize the need for, and to take action to maintain, sufficient airspeed to prevent a stall into the ground during an attempted landing. The pilot also failed to recognize the need for timely and sufficient power application to prevent the stall during an approach conducted inadvertently without flaps extended. Contributing to the pilot's inability to recognize the problem and to take proper action was his failure to use the appropriate checklist and his nonstandard pattern procedures which resulted in an abnormal approach profile.' He was 32.

10. Roberto Clemente (August 18, 1934-December 31, 1972, Age 38, Right Fielder, Pittsburgh Pirates)

Cause of Death: Injuries sustained from an airplane crash, San Juan, Puerto Rico

On December 23, 1972, Managua, Nicaragua was afflicted by a massive earthquake, prompting Roberto Clemente, who spent of his off-seasons doing charity work, arranged for emergency relief flights to aid Nicaraguan earthquake victims. When Clemente was informed that the aid packages on the first three flights were diverted by corrupt government officials, he made it a point to personally accompany the fourth plane full of aid packages to Nicaragua so that survivors would stand a better chance of receiving their aid packages. 

On December 31, 1972, the Douglas DC-7 cargo plane that Clemente had chartered, had, according to Wikipedia,

 "a history of mechanical problems and was overloaded by 4,200 pounds, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico immediately after takeoff on December 31, 1972. A few days after the crash, the body of the pilot and part of the fuselage of the plane were found. An empty flight case apparently belonging to Clemente was the only personal item recovered from the plane. Clemente's teammate and close friend Manny Sanguillén was the only member of the Pirates not to attend Roberto's memorial service. The Pirates catcher chose instead to dive into the waters where Clemente's plane had crashed in an effort to find his teammate. The bodies of Clemente and three others who were also on the four-engine plane, were never recovered."

Clemente's off-field humanitarian work was matched by his on-field accomplishments during his 18 year Major League career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Here are but a few of his MLB accomplishments (Source: Wikipedia):

15× All-Star (1960–1967, 1969–1972)

2× World Series champion (1960, 1971)

NL MVP (1966)

World Series MVP (1971)

12× Gold Glove Award (1961–1972)

4× NL batting champion (1961, 1964, 1965, 1967)

MLB statistics

Batting average .317

Hits 3,000

Home runs 240

Runs batted in 1,305

On March 30, 1973, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BWAA) waived the five year waiting period typically needed to assess a player's worthiness for inclusion in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Clemente, who was posthumously elected him for induction into the Hall of Fame, received 393 out of a possible 420 votes, giving him 393 out of 420 possible votes (92 %). Not surprisingly, Clemente's body of off-field humanitarian work has become his greatest legacy. Formerly known as the Commissioner's Award, it was renamed the Roberto Clemente following his untimely passing at the age of 38. Each year, "a player with outstanding baseball playing skills (and) who is personally involved in community work," will receive "a trophy and a donation check for a charity of the player's choice is presented annually at the World Series. A panel of three makes the final determination of the award recipient from an annual list of selected players (one from each MLB team). As a point of interest, the Toronto Blue Jays' Roberto Clemente Award nominee is none other than Kevin Pillar.