Former Padres Outfielder Dies From Leukemia

J.P. Hoornstra | Aug 6, 2024

Jun 17, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; MLB Vice President of Social Responsibility and inclusion Billy Bean throws out to first pitch before the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and San Francisco Giants as he pays tribute to the victims lost in the Orlando shooting last Sunday before the game at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Former San Diego Padres outfielder Billy Bean has died. Bean, who became the second major league player to come out as gay and held a key position with Major League Baseball, was 60.

According to a press release by the league, Bean had been battling acute myeloid leukemia for the last year.

"Our hearts are broken today as we mourn our dear friend and colleague, Billy Bean, one of the kindest and most respected individuals I have ever known," commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "Billy was a friend to countless people across our game, and he made a difference through his constant dedication to others. He made Baseball a better institution, both on and off the field, by the power of his example, his empathy, his communication skills, his deep relationships inside and outside our sport, and his commitment to doing the right thing. We are forever grateful for the enduring impact that Billy made on the game he loved, and we will never forget him.

"On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Billy's husband, Greg Baker, and their entire family."

In Dec. 1992, Bean returned from a brief stint in Japan to sign with the San Diego Padres. He enjoyed the best of his six major league seasons with the Padres the following year, hitting .260 with five home runs in 88 games, all career-highs.

Bean would play another 84 games in the strike-shortened 1994 season, hitting .215. Primarily an outfielder, Bean concluded his major league career with four games in 1995, spending most of that season with the Triple-A Las Vegas Stars.

Bean retired with a .226 average, five home runs, and 53 RBIs in 272 games for the Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers.

In an interview with the Miami Herald in 1999, Bean became the second MLB player ever to come out as gay.

"I went to Hooters, laughed at the jokes, lied about dates because I loved baseball," Bean told the Associated Press in a 1999 interview. "I still do. I'd go back in a minute. I only wish that I hadn't felt so alone, that I could have told someone, and that I hadn't always felt God was going to strike me dead."

In 2014, Bean went to work for MLB as its first ambassador for inclusion. He later held the title of Senior VP for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

According to MLB, Bean was a two-time All-American outfielder at Loyola Marymount University before graduating with a degree in Business Administration. He was also selected as the valedictorian of his graduating class at Santa Ana High School.