Former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent Dead At 86
Former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent died on Saturday because of complications from bladder cancer. He was 86 years old.
Vincent served as baseball's eighth commissioner, taking over following the unexpected death of A. Bartlett Giamatti in September 1989. He resigned from the position in September 1992.
Though Vincent served a short tenure as commissioner, he oversaw several major events. These included a lockout in 1990, Pete Rose's continued ban from baseball, the ban of then-New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, and expansion plans for the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins.
One of the biggest challenges Vincent faced as commissioner was the Loma Prieta Earthquake that struck just before first pitch of Game 3 of the 1989 World Series between the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants. Vincent opted to postpone that night's game at Candlestick Park for 10 days as the city dealt with damage from the quake.
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"Fay Vincent played a vital role in ensuring that the 1989 Bay Area World Series resumed responsibly following the earthquake prior to Game 3, and he oversaw the process that resulted in the 1993 National League expansion to Denver and Miami," current MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
"Mr. Vincent served the game during a time of many challenges, and he remained proud of his association with our National Pastime throughout his life. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Fay's family and friends."
Fay Vincent on the field at during the 1992 season at Shea Stadium.
(RVR Photos-Imagn Images)
Vincent also previously battled leukemia, announcing his diagnosis in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in 2019.
"My diagnosis means the game of life is turning serious and the late innings loom," he wrote at the time. "I cannot let the way my life comes to an end destroy the way I would like to be remembered. Dying is still a part of living, and the way one lives is vital, even in the dying light."