West, reliever on ’93 Phillies, dies at 57
David West, a former Phillies reliever and a member of the 1993 pennant-winning team, died on Saturday. He was 57 years old.
The Phillies released a statement announcing West’s death after a battle with brain cancer.
West spent four of his 10 big league seasons with the Phillies, acquired in 1993 and remaining until 1996. He went 15-18 with a 3.50 ERA over 122 appearances with the Phillies, including 3.2 innings in the postseason in 1993.
“It is with great sadness that I write this message about my roomie and best teammate ever,” said former Phillies pitcher and current broadcaster Larry Andersen. “David West had the biggest heart to go with his huge personality. He was always there to give you a pat on the back when you were down, or a hilarious one-liner when things were going well. He was the ultimate teammate, but an even better friend. He will certainly be missed. Rest in peace, my friend.”
“I’m not kidding when I tell you that Westy was literally this gentle giant who seemed to always have a smile on his face,” former shortstop Kevin Stocker said. “I had so much respect for David and how he went about his business on the mound. We don’t win in ’93 without his left arm out of the bullpen. However, the one thing that I will always remember is that even though I was a rookie in 1993, David never treated me as one. Even though I was only 23 years old, I felt like he always respected how I played and who I was as a person. He even made an impression on my wife, Brooke, in that he would always say hello to her after games and ask how she was getting along with the craziness of baseball life. David will be missed.”
West was drafted out of high school in his native Memphis, Tenn., by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 1983 amateur draft. He made his big league debut in 1988 and was a starter with the Mets before being sent to the Minnesota Twins in a fiveplayer trade in 1989 that sent Frank Viola to the Mets. West won a World Series title with the Twins in 1991. .
The Phillies acquired him in December 1992 in exchange for Mike
Phillies’ pitcher David West wipes his face during Game 2 of the 1993 NLCS at Veterans Stadium. The reliever died Saturday at age 57.
Hartley. He became an important bullpen cog in 1993, going 6-4 with three saves and a 2.92 ERA for the Phillies. He started 14 games the next season before transitioning into the starting rotation for the next two seasons.
West was granted free agency after the 1996 season, and he missed the 1997 season. After spending spring training in 1998 with the Cincinnati Reds and then signing with Houston, he returned to the bigs with the Boston Red Sox in 1998. He retired after two appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A team in 1999, at the age of 34.
“Another brother gone way too soon,” said John Kruk. “My prayers go out to the family of David West. David was a great teammate and a funny human being. We don’t reach the World Series without him. RIP my brother.”