OLDEST FORMER MA JOR LEAGUER DIES AT 99

Bobby Doerr, the Hall of Fame second baseman dubbed the “Silent Captain” of the Boston Red Sox by longtime teammate and friend Ted Williams, has died. He was 99. Doerr died Monday in Junction City, Ore., the Red Sox said Tuesday in a statement. The Red Sox said Doerr had been the oldest living major league player. Doerr returned to the Red Sox as a coach from 1967- 69 and was a batting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1980. Signed out of the old Pacific Coast League on the same scouting trip that brought Williams to Fenway Park, Doerr played 14 seasons with the Red Sox and joined his fishing buddy in the Hall of Fame in 1986. He had a .288 lifetime average and helped the Red Sox to the 1946 World Series. The nine-time all-star finished with 2,042 hits, 223 home runs and 1,247 RBIs. His six seasons with at least 100 RBIs was not matched by another second baseman for 25 years. Doerr was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 by the Veterans Committee and the Red Sox retired his No. 1 jersey in 1988.