Jerry Remy obit

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.”