11/23/2007 4:04 PM ET
Free agent pitcher Kennedy dies
Left-hander won 43 games for five teams in seven seasons
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com
Free agent left-hander Joe Kennedy arrived at Spring Training with the A's in
February having shed 20-plus pounds in anticipation of what he called the
biggest year of his seven-year career, and he spoke at length about what the
birth of his first child had done to change his perspective on life.
Kennedy's life came to a tragic end early Friday morning when he died after
passing out at his in-laws' home in Florida. He was 28.
After passing out, Kennedy was taken to a local hospital, where he was
pronounced dead, said Hillsborough County (Fla.) sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie
Carter, who had no further details, according to The Associated Press.
"We are deeply saddened and shocked to hear of Joe's passing," A's assistant
general manager David Forst said in a club release. "He was a valued teammate
and friend to everyone with the A's organization. On behalf of the entire A's
organization, we extend our condolences to Joe's wife, Jami, and his entire
family."
Kennedy, who opened the 2007 season as Oakland's No. 5 starter but was
dropped from the rotation and subsequently picked up on waivers by the
Diamondbacks, closed the season with the Blue Jays, who signed him on Aug. 29
after he had been designated for assignment by Arizona.
"This is tragic and stunning news," Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said in a
statement. "It is difficult to express the emotions felt by the Blue Jays
players and our organization. My sincere sympathies go to his wife, their son
and the entire family."
Kennedy was 43-61 with a 4.79 ERA in seven seasons with Tampa Bay, Colorado,
Oakland, Arizona and Toronto.
News of the pitcher's death emerged Friday when Kennedy's agent, Damon Lapa,
told ESPN.com that Kennedy died while at home. The Denver Post reported that,
according to Lapa, Kennedy was visiting his wife's family in the Tampa area.
He got up in the middle of the night and collapsed.
"The cause of death is unknown at this time," Lapa told FOXSports.com. "The
best guess at this point is either a heart attack or a brain aneurysm. The
way he died was sudden. There is no reasonable explanation for what
happened."
Kennedy, an eighth-round pick of the Rays in 1998 out of Grossmont (Calif.)
College, made his Major League debut in 2001, filed for free agency after the
World Series.
"We are shocked and deeply saddened by the news of Joe's sudden passing and
extend our deepest sympathies to his family," Rays director of Minor League
operations Mitch Lukevics said in a statement. "Joe made all of us very proud
as we watched him transform from a young pitching prospect in 1998 into our
Opening Day starter in a very short time."
Kennedy filed for free agency after the World Series, and Blue Jays president
and chief executive officer Paul Godfrey told the AP that the club had "every
intention" of speaking to Kennedy about returning to the Blue Jays next
season.
"We were terribly shocked," Godfrey said. "From what we understand, he was in
Bradenton ... to be the best man at a wedding today."
Kennedy, acquired by Oakland at the All-Star break in 2005 and used almost
exclusively in relief before being handed a spot in the A's rotation this
spring, was moved back to the bullpen after going 3-9 with a 4.37 ERA as a
starter this season. He appeared in 27 games, including 16 starts, before
being placed on waivers.
The Diamondbacks claimed Kennedy on Aug. 4, but he appeared in just three
games for Arizona, allowing seven runs in 2 2/3 innings, before being
designated for assignment on Aug. 15. After being signed by the Blue Jays, he
got his first win for Toronto on Sept. 21 against the New York Yankees.
Kennedy is the third active Major League player to die since October 2006.
Cory Lidle, another former Athletic, pitched for seven teams from 1997-2006
before dying at age 34 when his small aircraft crashed into a Manhattan
building on Oct. 11, 2006. Cardinals right-hander Josh Hancock, who
previously pitched for the Red Sox, Phillies and Reds, died at age 29 in an
auto accident on April 29, 2007.
Kennedy's best season as a starter was 2004, when he went 9-7 with a 3.66 ERA
in 27 games with the Rockies. In 2006, he posted a 4-1 record and a 2.31 ERA
in 39 relief appearances with the A's.
"Obviously, when a 28-year-old man dies, ballplayer or not, it's a terrible,
terrible thing," Godfrey said.
Kennedy, his wife and their 1-year-old son, Kaige, lived in the Denver area,
where Kennedy remained close friends with Rockies first baseman Todd Helton,
who told the Denver Post he had recently played golf with his former teammate.
"They just bought a house," Helton told the Post. "This was the first
Thanksgiving we haven't spent together in quite a while. This is just really
sad news."
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