Funeral services are pending for Santa Ana native and onetime Los Angeles Dodger Billy Bean, credited with being the second Major League Baseball player to come out as gay.
Bean, MLB's senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia last September and died from the disease Tuesday, MLB announced.
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He was 60.
"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.
"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," Manfred continued. "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."
Bean played college baseball at Loyola Marymount University for two seasons, and was part of the 1986 team that competed in the College World Series. A fourth-round draft choice of the Detroit Tigers in 1986, Bean played one season for the Dodgers in 1989, batting .197 in 76 plate appearances logged over 51 games.
"We mourn the passing of Billy Bean, a former Dodger and pioneering executive who as MLB's Senior Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion truly elevated the culture and spirit of the game he loved," the Dodgers posted on social media.
Bean played his final three MLB seasons with the San Diego Padres, and finished his career with a .226 batting average, five home runs and 53 runs batted in over 272 games. He played mostly outfield and some first base.
Bean came out as gay in 1999, over three years after his MLB career ended. Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Glenn Burke was the first MLB player to come out as gay, though Burke too waited until about three years after he retired in 1979 to reveal his sexual orientation.
"Nowadays, there's so much more information," Bean said in a 2018 interview, according to MLB.com. "Self-identification happens a lot earlier, and open-hearted families and parents teach their children about everything in the world. It allows for an earlier evolution. I was living in a very stone-age space."
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