Former Red Sox Reliever Rheal Cormier Dies At 53 After Battle With Cancer
BOSTON (CBS) -- Former Red Sox reliever Rheal Cormier died Monday after a battle with cancer. Cormier was 53.
Cormier had two different stints with Boston, in 1995 and from 1999-2000, during his 16-year MLB career. Initially drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1988 out of the Community College of Rhode Island, Cormier played for five teams throughout his career.
The lefty was acquired by Boston in 1995 in a trade that sent Scott Cooper to St. Louis. Cormier went 7-5 with a 4.07 ERA for Boston that season over 48 appearances, including 12 starts. He was dealt to the Montreal Expos the following offseason in a trade that landed Wil Cordero in Boston.
Cormier re-signed with the Red Sox ahead of the 1999 season and went 5-3 with a 4.17 ERA and 1.291 WHIP over 124 games with Boston over the next two seasons. He was a fixture in the Boston bullpen for a pair of playoff teams as a reliable southpaw, tossing 7.2 scoreless innings in six playoff appearances during his second stint with the Red Sox.
His best season as a pro came in 2003 with the Philadelphia Phillies, when Cormier went 8-0 as a reliever with a 1.70 ERA.
So sad to see this. Way too young. Rheal Cormier pitched for the #RedSox in 1996, '99-2000. Was a real nice guy. Condolences to the family. R-I-P https://t.co/IUhoiIVkeK
— Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) March 8, 2021
A native of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, Cormier was elected into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.