Red Sox Honoring Former All-Star Slugger Who Lost Battle With Cancer
The Boston Red Sox are honoring former All-Star left fielder Mike Greenwell, who died in October at the age of 62 after losing his battle with thyroid cancer.
The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey reports the club is planning a tribute to the player known affectionately as “Gator.”
“At Red Sox spring training, Fenway South staff put this out in honor of the late Mike Greenwell: a ‘Thank You, MIKE’ sign, with directions encouraging fans to sign with well wishes. They plan to share it with Greenwell’s family on Opening Day,” Healey reports.
Fans attending spring training in Fort Myers, Fla. can find the Greenwell display, which features signs attached to a golf cart.
One sign reads, “In loving memory of Mike Greenwell. Please leave a kind message or memory sharing what he meant to you. These messages will be shared with his family on Opening Day.”
The two-time All-Star had been serving as Lee County (Fla.) commissioner when he announced his cancer diagnosis in August. Fort Myers is part of Lee County.
The Red Sox selected Greenwell in the third round of the 1982 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut in 1985 and finished fourth in voting for American League Rookie of the Year in 1987.
Greenwell followed that up with the best season in his 12-year big-league career. The left fielder supplanted future Hall of Famer Jim Rice and did so with authority. Greenwell finished second for AL MVP voting in 1988, setting career highs with 22 home runs and 119 RBIs.
“Gator” lost the MVP to Oakland A’s slugger Jose Canseco, who became the first player to record 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season. But Canseco’s performance has been linked to his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs.
As for Greenwell, the two-time All-Star was a lifetime .303 hitter. He last played in the majors in 1996 and was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008.