Robin Marchant/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Former MLB outfielder Gerald Williams, a 14-year veteran who played two stints with the New York Yankees, has died at the age of 55 from cancer.
Former Yankees teammate Derek Jeter released a statement via The Players’ Tribune after news of Williams’ death:
The Players’ Tribune @PlayersTribune
“Gerald Williams passed away this morning after a battle with cancer. To my teammate and one of my best friends in the world, rest in peace, my brother. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Liliana, and their whole family.” —Derek Jeter <a href=”https://t.co/mVoaZ8BPrP”>pic.twitter.com/mVoaZ8BPrP</a>
The Yankees released a statement after the news of his death:
Former teammate and four-time World Series champion Bernie Williams, who suited up with Williams from 1992 to 1996 and again in 2001 and 2002, also offered a remembrance:
Williams carved out a career with the Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins and New York Mets.
His best offensive stretch occurred from 1998 to 2000, when he hit .280 (.780 OPS) and posted per 162-game averages of 16 homers and 67 RBI. Williams notably hit a career-high 21 home runs for Tampa Bay in 2000.
During that season, he was notoriously at the center of a massive benches-clearing brawl between Tampa Bay and the Boston Red Sox after starting pitcher Pedro Martinez hit him on the left wrist during an at-bat.
Williams authored one of the most iconic plays of the Yankees’ 1996 season when he snagged a long fly ball off the bat of then-Seattle Mariners shortstop Alex Rodriguez in the first inning en route to Dwight “Doc” Gooden’s no-hitter on May 14, 1996.
The outfielder then doubled off Darren Bragg at first base. Gooden took over from there, twirling a 134-pitch masterpiece.
Williams was a beloved teammate, and Jeter wrote about what his presence meant to him as he was working his way up the minor leagues in his 2000 book, The Life You Imagine.
“I felt like I had been the last kid on the playground waiting to be picked for a game, and finally someone had selected me,” Jeter said of Williams taking him out to dinner after other teammates had hazed him (h/t Bryan Hoch of MLB.com).
“From that first meal, I knew that Gerald was someone whom I would befriend. He speaks softly and thoughtfully and is more like a philosopher than a baseball player.
“You could sit down next to Gerald on a plane, take a three-hour flight, talk the whole time, and never, ever guess that he played baseball. Gerald would talk to you about politics, religion, health care, the judicial system, anything. He is a person who thrives on life. He always finds positives and has told me that he doesn’t think he could ever overuse the word positive.”
Williams is also just one of three Yankee players in franchise history to have six hits in a game, with the other two being Johnny Damon (2008) and Myril Hoag (1934). Williams accomplished his feat in a 15-inning, 11-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles on May 1, 1996.
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