PHILADELPHIA (Neth.) – Rheal Cormier, the left-hander who spent 16 seasons in the majors, most notably at the Olympics before and after playing in MLB, passed away on Monday. He was 53 years old.
The Philadelphia Phillies confirmed that Cormier died of cancer at his home in New Brunswick, Canada.
Cormier has a prominent place in Phillies history with the winning pitch in Philadelphia’s last game 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 was 71-64 with two saves and a 4.03 ERA with the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Montreal Expos, Philadelphia and Cincinnati Reds. As a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Cormier threw 683 games – among his fellow countrymen, only Paul Quantrill (841) has more games in the majors.
Cormier had other notable appearances on the hill.
Three years before making his MLB debut, he pitched for Canada at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. In 2008, a year after his last Major League-game, he again pitched for Canada at the Olympic Games in Beijing – He entered the tournament by pitching in the Major League for men.
“Rheal was one of the most vibrant people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting,” his former teammate and Hall of Famer Jim Thome said in a statement from the Phillies. “He loved baseball, but he always put his family first.”
Cormier made his Cardinals debut in 1991 and was a starter early in his career. He threw his only shutout in 1996 with the Expos.
He is survived by his wife, Lucienne, son Justin and daughter Morgan.