Jerry Remy, a Boston Red Sox second baseman who went on to become a local icon as a television broadcaster, died Oct. 30 at 68.
The Red Sox announced his death but did not say where he died. Mr. Remy had a long and public struggle with lung cancer.
Mr. Remy was diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer after he experienced shortness of breath during Boston’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on June 4. He left his role as the color analyst for Red Sox games Aug. 4 to seek treatment.
On Oct. 5, he drew thunderous applause at Fenway Park when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a playoff game while using an oxygen tube.
Mr. Remy was a former smoker who had a years-long battle with lung cancer, including surgery for the disease in November 2008. His struggle with the illness was well known to baseball fans. He told reporters in 2018 that support from Red Sox fans helped him in his treatment.
Advertisement
“It’s amazing the impact that you have when you’ve been around 31 years, that you have on people,” he said. “Red Sox fans especially, who welcome you into their home for that long. It’s kind of a nice feeling. It’s kind of a nice feeling that they care.”
Mr. Remy had spent 10 seasons in the majors — the first three with the California Angels and the last seven with Boston — before retiring after the 1985 season. He hit .275 with seven homers and 329 RBIs in 1,154 games.
But it was as a Red Sox announcer, a job he began in 1988, that he captured the hearts of fans. Combining sharp analysis and a sense of humor that sometimes led to long, on-air bouts of laughter involving him and former Boston play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo, Mr. Remy gained a legion of listeners.
Mr. Remy “left an indelible mark on this club and on an entire nation of Red Sox fans,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in a statement Sunday.
Advertisement
“He devoted his entire career to baseball and whether from his seat in the clubhouse or his perch above the field in the broadcast booth, he took generations of rising Red Sox stars and a multitude of fans along for the ride with him,” the statement said.
Known as “RemDawg” by generations of New Englanders, Mr. Remy was elected by fans as first president of “Red Sox Nation” in 2007. The club had decided to capitalize on the passions of followers who were known by that name by creating a formal fan club.
Gerald Peter Remy was born Nov. 8, 1952, in Fall River, Mass., and grew up in nearby Somerset. His father worked at a furniture store, and his mother was a hairdresser.
Mr. Remy was 14 when he was among the fans who rushed the field at Fenway Park after the Red Sox clinched a share of the American League pennant on the final day of the 1967 season.
Advertisement
He first played in the major leagues in 1975 with the Angels and stole 41 bases in 1977. At the end of that season, he was traded to the Red Sox.
In 1978, Mr. Remy made his only All Star team. That year, he batted .278 with 30 steals for Boston, which lost a one-game playoff to the New York Yankees for the American League East title. Mr. Remy was on base as Red Sox star Carl Yastrzemski popped out to end the game, which the Yankees won, 5-4.
After becoming a free agent in 1981, Mr. Remy signed again with the Red Sox. A series of knee injuries led to his retirement in 1985.
In a statement Yastrzemski remembered his former teammate as a “very, very hard worker” who “made himself an outstanding player. He carried those same work habits over to the broadcast booth.”
Mr. Remy coached in the Red Sox minor league system before becoming the team’s color analyst in 1988. He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006 and also owned several local restaurants.
In 2013, Mr. Remy’s son Jared was arrested and charged with killing his girlfriend. Mr. Remy took a leave of absence and did not return to the broadcast booth that season. Jared Remy was convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence in prison.
Other survivors include Mr. Remy’s wife of 47 years, Phoebe; and two additional children.
Read more Washington Post obituaries
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLmwr8ClZqiamanCor7InqpoopWnv7p50Z6ksmWUmq6le5FpaWpnYWZ8cX6Ob5uenWlosqZ5kpucnWVhZrKkecBtcGxlZWavcX6Ua5uemWCYrLTAzquwZ6Ckork%3D