Post by Ray Higgins on Feb 8, 2022 23:21:19 GMT -6
Gerald Williams, whose 14-year career in the big leagues included two stints with the Yankees, died on Tuesday after a battle with cancer. He was 55.
Williams’ death was announced by Derek Jeter, the Hall of Fame shortstop and Marlins CEO. One of Williams’ closest friends, Jeter released a statement via the Twitter account of The Players’ Tribune.
“Gerald Williams passed away this morning after a battle with cancer,” said Jeter, who founded the Players’ Tribune in 2014. “To my teammate and one of my best friends in the world, rest in peace, my brother. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Liliana, and their whole family.”
Nicknamed “Ice,” Williams was a right-handed hitting outfielder from New Orleans, La., who attended Grambling State (La.) University and made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 1992, playing parts of five seasons in the Bronx before being traded to the Brewers in August 1996.
Bernie Williams, one of Gerald Williams’ Minor League roommates and a teammate for several years in New York, said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened” by the news.
“Through thick and thin, we had each other’s backs,” Bernie Williams said. “We used to talk and dream about how it would be like to play in the big leagues. He had more power, he was faster, and definitely had an exponentially better throwing arm than me, so we used to joke around about him being called up by the Yankees first.
“We played side-by-side in the big leagues for a little while, so our dream did come true. He was a stand up individual with great character and integrity throughout his whole life. Even though our lives went in separate ways, I always considered him a true friend and a mentor. I will miss him a lot.”
Gerald Williams was known as an above-average defender. Earlier in that ’96 season, he had raced toward the center-field wall at Yankee Stadium and contributed a catch that helped Dwight Gooden pitch a no-hitter, with Williams completing a double play after robbing the Mariners’ Alex Rodriguez of what would have been an extra-base hit.
Milwaukee traded Williams to the Braves after the 1997 season, and Williams played against Jeter and the Yankees in the ‘99 World Series. The close relationship between Jeter and Williams was cemented in 1993, when Jeter was a 19-year-old experiencing his first big league Spring Training.
Williams’ death was announced by Derek Jeter, the Hall of Fame shortstop and Marlins CEO. One of Williams’ closest friends, Jeter released a statement via the Twitter account of The Players’ Tribune.
“Gerald Williams passed away this morning after a battle with cancer,” said Jeter, who founded the Players’ Tribune in 2014. “To my teammate and one of my best friends in the world, rest in peace, my brother. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Liliana, and their whole family.”
Nicknamed “Ice,” Williams was a right-handed hitting outfielder from New Orleans, La., who attended Grambling State (La.) University and made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 1992, playing parts of five seasons in the Bronx before being traded to the Brewers in August 1996.
Bernie Williams, one of Gerald Williams’ Minor League roommates and a teammate for several years in New York, said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened” by the news.
“Through thick and thin, we had each other’s backs,” Bernie Williams said. “We used to talk and dream about how it would be like to play in the big leagues. He had more power, he was faster, and definitely had an exponentially better throwing arm than me, so we used to joke around about him being called up by the Yankees first.
“We played side-by-side in the big leagues for a little while, so our dream did come true. He was a stand up individual with great character and integrity throughout his whole life. Even though our lives went in separate ways, I always considered him a true friend and a mentor. I will miss him a lot.”
Gerald Williams was known as an above-average defender. Earlier in that ’96 season, he had raced toward the center-field wall at Yankee Stadium and contributed a catch that helped Dwight Gooden pitch a no-hitter, with Williams completing a double play after robbing the Mariners’ Alex Rodriguez of what would have been an extra-base hit.
Milwaukee traded Williams to the Braves after the 1997 season, and Williams played against Jeter and the Yankees in the ‘99 World Series. The close relationship between Jeter and Williams was cemented in 1993, when Jeter was a 19-year-old experiencing his first big league Spring Training.