Remy was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and took several leaves of absence from the broadcast booth over the subsequent years. He also spoke honestly about suffering from depression following his initial diagnosis.
Remy's last appearance at Fenway Park was earlier this month, throwing out the first pitch (to his former teammate and booth partner, Dennis Eckersley) before the Wild Card Game.
Remy spent 43 of his 68 years in the Red Sox organization, first coming to Boston before the 1978 season. He played for seven seasons, briefly worked as a coach in the minors before joining NESN in 1988.
Even before he wore a Boston uniform, he was connected to the team, rooting for the Red Sox while growing up in Somerset, Massachusetts.
Remy was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2017. He is on an extremely short list of people (among them Ned Martin and Joe Castiglione) who could creditably be called "the voice of the Red Sox".
A few weeks back I rewatched that infamous 1978 Playoff & the 9th inning Lou Piniella "lost it into the Sun lucky snatch" could have so easily rolled to the fence & Jerry could have been an even bigger Folk Hero than he already was & it may just have been 60 years, rather than 86 ?
ReplyDeleteIt was 1 of THE moments of the 20th Century for The Red Sox - a what might have been classic ..... obviously, we will never know ..... but Jerry came oh so close to changing history on the field & had to settle for changing it off the field !
A Very Sad Loss
A Life Well Lived
A Legend Never To Be Forgotten