PHILADELPHIA – Rheal Cormier, the left-hander who spent 16 seasons in the Major Leagues and notably pitched at the Olympics before and after playing MLB, died Monday. He was 53 years old.
The Philadelphia Phillies confirmed that Cormier died of cancer at home in New Brunswick, Canada.
Cormier has a prominent place in Phillies history with the winning pitch in the last Philadelphia game and he won at Veterans Stadium in 2003 and also took the Phillies ’first win when they moved to Citizens Bank Park in 2004.
In his career he had a mark of 71-64 with two saves and an effectiveness of 4.03 with St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Montreal Expos, Philadelphia and Cincinnati Reds. A member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Cormier threw 683 games – among his compatriots, only Paul Quantrill (841) has more major league duels.
Cormier had other notable appearances on the mound.
Three years before making his MLB debut, he pitched for Canada at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In 2008, a year after his last major league game, he pitched again for Canada at the Beijing Olympics. – reached the tournament by throwing in the major men’s league.
“Rheal was one of the most vibrant people I had the pleasure of meeting,” said his former Fellow and Hall of Fame member Jim Thome in a statement released by the Phillies. “He loved baseball, but he always put his family first.”
Cormier made his debut with the Cardinals in 1991 and was an opener at the start of his career. He launched his only whitewash in 1996 with the Expos.
He is survived by his wife, Lucienne, his son Justin and his daughter Morgan.