Longtime Boston Red Sox broadcaster, former player Jerry Remy dies of cancer
He was not on the list.
Jerry Remy, a longtime television broadcaster for the Boston
Red Sox and a former standout player for the team, has died of cancer at the
age of 68.
The Red Sox confirmed that Remy, who logged more than 40
years of service to the organization, died Saturday night. He was approaching
his 69th birthday on Nov. 8.
“Jerry’s love and connection to baseball didn’t allow
anything to stand between the game and him, including for many years cancer. 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," reads a statement from Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry.
"During his lifetime, he witnessed great triumphs and terrible tragedies
handling all of it with grace, dignity, and a huge heart. He left an indelible
mark on this club and on an entire nation of Red Sox fans.”
“I am heartbroken by the passing of my longtime friend and
colleague, Jerry Remy,” reads a statement from Sean McGrail, president and
chief executive officer of New England Sports Network, where Remy worked as a
broadcaster over the past four decades. “It is difficult to put into words how
much Jerry has meant to all of us in Red Sox Nation. His storytelling, humor,
and love for the game of baseball were unmatched, and it showed on our
broadcast for the 33 years that he was a part of our NESN family. He connected
with Boston fans in a way few have ever done. Jerry’s legacy as a phenomenal
player, talented broadcaster, and passionate ambassador will live on in the
hearts of Red Sox Nation. Our thoughts are with his wife, Phoebe, and the entire
Remy family during this very difficult time.”
Remy had stepped away from his role as the color analyst for
New England Sports Network's Red Sox broadcasts on Aug. 4 to undergo treatment
for lung cancer. This was the seventh time the Massachusetts native had been
diagnosed with cancer following the initial diagnosis in 2008. His most recent
previous cancer diagnosis was in 2018.
"There's no question I'm laying here today because of
cigarettes," Remy said in a 2019 interview with the Mass General Cancer
Center. "I'm not one to go out and preach to people who smoke and say,
'You better stop that,' They know what they're doing. The information is out
there now. It wasn't quite like that when I was a kid growing up. My parents
smoked but they both quit.
"I wish I didn't smoke. I started smoking when I was 16
years old," Remy added in the 2019 interview. My saying is: 'Don't pick up
the first one because it's really tough to put down the last one.' I knew
smoking wasn't good for you, but I was addicted. I never stopped, I never
stopped. Even through my professional baseball career, I continued to smoke as
other athletes did. There's no doubt I'm here today because of that."
On June 11, Remy said he experienced shortness of breath
during the third inning of a game between the Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays at
Fenway Park. He stepped away from the broadcast as a precaution and was
admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital. He was released from MGH on June 16
and returned to the broadcast booth on June 20.
His most recent public appearance came on Oct. 5, when he
threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the American League Wild Card Game
against the New York Yankees.
Dennis Eckersley, a former Red Sox teammate of Remy's and
his colleague at NESN for 19 years, caught that first pitch.
"I think we all knew that that was kind of a goodbye at
that time, but it's so moving to look back at that," Eckersley said.
"It's special at the same time because I got a chance to catch a ball, hug
him, tell him how much I loved him and how the crowd loved him — you know, he
got that moment."
Remy was born in Fall River on Nov. 8, 1952, and grew up in
the nearby town of Somerset. He was a graduate of Somerset High School and
attended Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.
The speedy second baseman nicknamed "Rem Dawg" was
selected by the Washington Senators in the 19th round of the 1970 MLB draft but
did not sign with the team. He did sign with the California Angels, who
selected him with the 129th overall pick (eighth round) in the secondary phase
of the free agent draft in January 1971.
Remy played the first three seasons of his major league
career with the California Angels, making his debut in April 1975. He became
the second team captain in the franchise's history in June 1977 but was traded
to the Red Sox just six months later.
In his first season with Boston in 1978, Remy was selected
to the MLB All-Star Game, had a team-high 19-game hit streak and finished the
year with 30 stolen bases. He continued to be the Sox starting second baseman
for the next six seasons.
On June 14, 1980, Remy stole four bases against the Angels —
his former team — to set a Red Sox single-game record, which stood for over 30
years.
He had a career-high 19 bunt hits in 1982 and finished with
a career-high 178 hits the next season.
Remy retired from the major leagues during spring training
in 1986 after missing the entire 1985 season due to a knee injury that limited
him to just 30 games the year before.
He played in 710 games across his seven seasons with the Red
Sox, batting .286 with 98 stolen bases.
In 1986, Remy served as bench coach for the New Britain Red
Sox, which was Boston's Double-A affiliate at the time. During his time in New
Britain, Remy coached future major league players and coaches, including Ellis
Burks, Sam Horn and DeMarlo Hale.
Remy was hired by NESN in 1988 and called thousands of Red
Sox games as a color analyst over the last several decades.
"He really loved the Red Sox, too. That was not for
show. That wasn't put on," said Dave O'Brien, Remy's broadcast partner at
NESN. "I mean, he lived and died with the ball club and he loved, loved to
be at Fenway Park.
"The last text that we shared, which was about 10 days
ago, was very simple from me. I said: 'I miss you. We miss you,'" O'Brien
added. "And his response was: 'I'll miss everything about it.'"
In recognition of his career as a player and broadcaster,
Remy was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006. He was among
the franchise's all-time leaders at second base in fielding percentage (.982),
games played (685), putouts (1,370), assists (1,988) and double plays (466) at
the time of his Hall of Fame induction.
A year after getting into the Red Sox Hall of Fame, Remy was
elected as the honorary president of Red Sox Nation.
Longtime WCVB sports anchor Mike Lynch said he first met
Remy while playing at a high school all-star game in Fenway Park in 1969.
"He was one of us," Lynch said. "He played in
the Bucky Dent game. He saw the ball go through Bill Buckner's legs. He
agonized over the World Series like everybody else, and when the 86-year curse
was lifted, he celebrated like everybody else.
"He grew up in Somerset, played for the Red Sox, lived
out his boyhood dream and he was trusted," Lynch added. "We trusted
him to come into our living rooms. We knew if Rem Dawg said it, it was
true."
In 2017, Remy was inducted into the Massachusetts
Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
In January 2020, he was awarded the Judge Emil Fuchs
Memorial Award for long and meritorious service to baseball by the Boston
Baseball Writers Association.
Remy is survived by his wife, Phoebe; their three children:
Jared, Jordan and Jenna; and two grandchildren: Dominik Guyette and Arianna
Remy.
Carl Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox teammate (1978-83)- “In
baseball he was a very, very hard worker. He made himself an outstanding
player. He carried those same work habits over to the broadcast booth. We were
a couple of lockers down from each other so we would talk a lot. We became very
good friends. This is a sad day.”
Wade Boggs - Words can’t express my feelings right now so
sad to hear about the passing of my former teammate and friend Jerry Remy.
Scoot you’ll be dearly missed RIP.
Fred Lynn- I lost a great teammate and friend today. A true
gamer and important part of all of Red
Sox Nation. R.I.P. Remdog.
Alex Cora - A few txt from Remy in
October: “Keep Fighting” “Congratulations” “Clean it up” (my favorite one) He
was always there for us. He will be miss.
Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox player - "This is a
such a sad day. My thoughts are with Jerry’s family and his loved ones. As a
player, I always loved seeing Rem in our clubhouse at Fenway every day. He was
the first person you’d see when you came in. Whether it was just to say hello
or to talk baseball, he was always there. You knew he loved the Red Sox and
that he was always pulling for us. He will be missed.”
David Ortiz - Rest in peace REM DOG Your memories will never
be forgotten! Those will always remain with us forever. No grief is greater
than the departure of such a kind man as him. rest in peace.
Dustin Pedroia, former Boston Red Sox player (2006-19) - “It’s
difficult to put into words what Jerry meant to me and our entire organization.
I will miss our baseball talks, joking and laughing together, and our
friendship. Jerry helped me so much as a young player and I looked up to him.
He helped me see the game in different ways. He left his mark on everyone and
will be truly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his entire family.”
