MLB announced Tuesday the death of Billy Bean, the first openly gay player in the Major Leagues, from cancer.
“Our hearts are broken today as we mourn the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Billy Bean, one of the kindest and most respected people I have ever known,” Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague Billy Bean, MLB’s Senior VP for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Commissioner. Billy, who fought a heroic year-long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, was 60.
Over the last 10 years,… pic.twitter.com/dCfFM6hQlE
— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2024
Bean, who was MLB’s Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in September of last year, a disease that ultimately caused his death on Tuesday at the age of 60.
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Billy Bean came out as gay and retired in 1999
Bean, who played six seasons in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, came out as gay in 1999, explaining at the time that his decision to leave the game was driven by his understanding that Major League Baseball was not ready to accept a player with his sexual preferences.
In his role as an MLB Inclusion Ambassador, advisor and member of the Major League Baseball Owners Committee, Bean focused on player education, LGBTIQ+ inclusion and social justice initiatives, focusing on preventing harassment in the league and supporting the game and raising the visibility of player mental wellness resources.
In 2014, Billy Bean returned to the game he loved in a different capacity, and baseball is in a better place because of him.
We mourn the passing of MLB’s Senior VP for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Commissioner, Billy Bean. pic.twitter.com/8SbPHqOnfy
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 6, 2024
“He made Major League Baseball a better institution, both on and off the field, through the power of his example, his empathy, his communication skills, his deep relationships inside and outside our sport, and his commitment to doing the right thing. We are forever grateful for the lasting impact Billy had on the game he loved, and we will never forget him,” the MLB commissioner acknowledged.
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Bean also served as a speaker to carry his message of education and respect outside of MLB.
In his major league career, Bean hit .226 in 519 at-bats over 272 games played.
From EFE
2024-08-08 03:01:54
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