Josh Hancock
Josh Hancock | |
---|---|
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 10, 2002, for the Boston Red Sox | |
Last MLB appearance | |
April 28, 2007, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 9–7 |
Earned run average | 4.20 |
Strikeouts | 110 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Joshua Morgan Hancock (April 11, 1978 – April 29, 2007) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals. He was killed in an auto accident on April 29, 2007, at the age of 29.[1]
Career
Born in
On the first day of Spring training 2006, Hancock was released by the Reds for being 17 pounds overweight — thus, violating a clause in his contract. He promptly signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and had his best season, pitching 77 innings, compiling a 4.09 earned run average ERA, and appearing in the 2006 postseason with the Cardinals. Hancock performed in a variety of roles for the Cardinals' bullpen, from short term relief appearances to less desirable roles when the game was out of hand.
Hancock was on the Cardinals roster for the 2006 World Series but did not pitch.
Before coming to the Cardinals, Hancock had a penchant for giving up home runs. He gave up 17 homers over 68 innings pitched in 2005. Hancock improved in 2006, giving up only nine over 77 innings. In 2007, he had pitched 8 games with an 0–1 record and a 3.55 ERA.
Death
On April 29, 2007, Hancock was killed in a motor vehicle accident when the 2007 Ford Explorer he was driving while intoxicated struck the rear of a flat bed tow truck at 12:35 a.m. Central Time. The truck was reportedly in the left lane assisting another vehicle that was involved in a prior accident.[2][3][4][5][6]
A police report revealed that Hancock was intoxicated at the time of his fatal accident with a
The Cardinals' scheduled game with the Chicago Cubs later that day was postponed due to his accident. The game was eventually made up on September 15, a 3-2 Cubs victory.
Hancock's death marked the second time in five years a player for the Cardinals died during the baseball season, the first being of pitcher
Three days earlier, his teammates were concerned when they could not reach Hancock after he had overslept and had not shown up for the game on time, likening it to the events leading up to the sudden death of Kile. Hancock did not answer until the "20th call", having thought the start time was later than it actually was. Hancock was expected to be fined by the Cardinals after the incident.[7]
On May 31, 2007, it was reported that Hancock had been involved in another accident involving his GMC Denali three nights before his fatal crash involving a rented Ford Explorer. Hancock's final appearance for the team was April 28, 2007, giving up one run in three innings of relief.[8]
Aftermath
The Cardinals wore a special patch on their uniform sleeves with Hancock's number (32) for the duration of the 2007 season to commemorate his life. [9] Although his number is not retired, he is currently honored with his number being displayed above his name in the Cardinals bullpen at Busch Stadium, alongside Darryl Kile, who died in 2002.
In the wake of Hancock's accident, several teams banned alcohol from their home clubhouses. The
Hancock's family filed a lawsuit on May 24, 2007, against Mike Shannon's restaurant, the tow truck company, tow truck driver, and the driver of the car that the tow truck was stopped to help.[12] On May 31, 2007, the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control announced results of an investigation revealed no wrongdoing on the part of employees at Mike Shannon's Steaks and Seafood restaurant in Hancock's death. [13] The lawsuit was dropped on July 30, 2007.[14]
See also
- List of baseball players who died during their careers
- MLB.com tribute Archived 2008-06-17 at the Wayback Machine
- Sports E-Cyclopedia's Memorium to Josh Hancock Archived 2007-10-17 at the Wayback Machine
- PDF file of Dean Hancock's lawsuit
References
- ^ a b "Cardinals reliever Hancock killed while driving drunk in 2007". ESPN.com. ESPN. Associated Press. April 29, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ St. Louis Cardinals press release Archived November 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cardinals News Conference video on Hancock's death from KMOV-TV part 1 Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cardinals News Conference video on Hancock's death from KMOV-TV part 2 Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ St. Louis Post-Dispatch 4-29-07 : "Cards gather at Busch to mourn Hancock's death" Archived May 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Police: Hancock was drunk, had marijuana in his car". ESPN.com. ESPN. February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ "Hancock shows up late" Archived April 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 27, 2007
- ^ Baseball-Reference.com Archived October 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Box Score: Cubs at Cardinals, April 28, 2007
- ^ Strauss, Joe; Bryan, Bill (2007-04-30), "Cardinal Nation mourns; autopsy set for today", ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, archived from the original on June 9, 2007
- ^ The Official Site of The Florida Marlins: News: Notes: Ross on DL; Reed recalled Archived August 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Official Site of The Baltimore Orioles: News: Notes: Orioles ban beer in clubhouse Archived February 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Salter, Jim (2007-05-24), "Hancock's father sues over Cardinals pitcher's death", Associated Press, archived from the original on 2007-05-28
- ^ Leach, Matthew (2007-05-31), "Missouri ATC clears Shannon's", MLB.com
- ^ Frankel, Todd (2007-07-30), "An about-face on Hancock crash suit", St. Louis Post Dispatch[dead link]
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Josh Hancock at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)
- Josh Hancock at Find a Grave