Billy Beane, a former major leaguer and the first major league ambassador for diversity, has died of leukemia. He was 60.
Rob Manfred, president of the MLB Secretariat, released a statement on the 7th (Korean time) saying, “It is heartbreaking to mourn the death of my precious colleague, Bean. Through his steady efforts, Bean pursued change in the field of diversity.”
Bean played for three clubs from 1987 to 1995, including Detroit, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego. He also came out in 1999 as gay. It was the second major leaguer to come out since Glenn Burke in 1978.
Bean, who later worked in the ML secretariat in 2014, was the first major league ambassador to serve as a diversity ambassador and was promoted to vice president.
Bean had been suffering from acute myeloid leukemia since last year. He died at home after a year of illness.
The ML secretariat also said, “Bin worked tirelessly and passionately in the ML and all 30 clubs. He focused on training athletes, inclusion of LGBTQ, and social justice plans. That’s how I tried to create a game that could embrace everyone.” 메이저놀이터
Meanwhile, Bean is the same name as former Oakland general manager Bean, who is well-known for his role in the movie Moneyball.
