Pitched 16 seasons in majors, plus 2 stints for Canada in Olympics
PHILADELPHIA — Rheal Cormier, the durable left-hander who spent 16 seasons in the majors and remarkably pitched in the Olympics before and after his time in the big leagues, died Monday. He was 53.
The Philadelphia Phillies said Mr. Cormier died of cancer at his home in New Brunswick, Canada.
Mr. Cormier owned a neat nook in Phillies history: He was the winning pitcher in the final game that Philadelphia won at Veterans Stadium in 2003, and also was the winner in the first game the Phils won after moving into Citizens Bank Park in 2004.
Overall, he was 71-64 with two saves and a 4.03 ERA with St. Louis, Boston, Montreal, Philadelphia and Cincinnati. A member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Mr. Cormier pitched 683 games — among his countrymen, only Paul Quantrill (841) pitched more in the majors.
Mr. Cormier made other prominent appearances on the mound, too.
Three years before his big league debut, he pitched for Canada in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Then in 2008, a year after his final game in the majors, he again threw for Canada in the 2008 Beijing Games — he tuned up for the event by tossing in a men’s senior league.
“Rheal was one of the most vibrant people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing,” former teammate and Hall of Famer Jim Thome said in a statement released by the
Phillies. “He loved baseball, but he always put his family first.”
“Frenchy was the kind of guy who would do anything for you and I’m lucky to have called him my friend for many years,” Thome said.
The Phillies said Mr. Cormier became a U.S. citizen on Sept. 22, 2004, during a Philadelphia-Marlins series in Miami.
“I’m living the American dream and feel like I can give back, help the community and be a part of this country,” Mr. Cormier said shortly before the ceremony.
Mr. Cormier is survived by his wife, Lucienne, son Justin and daughter Morgan.