Greenwell, 2-time All-Star for Red Sox, dies at 62

BOSTON -- Mike Greenwell, an outfielder who played 12 seasons with the Boston Red Sox and finished 2nd successful the 1988 American League MVP voting, died Thursday, his woman said. He was 62.

The Boston Globe reported successful mid-August that Greenwell had medullary thyroid cancer. Tracy Greenwell told WINK, a vigor presumption successful Lee County, Florida, that her hubby died successful Boston.

"With a dense heart, I mislaid my champion person today," Tracy Greenwell wrote connected societal media. "It was Mike's clip to beryllium an angel. At 10:30 a.m. successful Boston's General Hospital. We are everlastingly grateful for the beingness helium has fixed us."

Lee County Manager Bruce Harner besides announced Greenwell's decease connected the region government's societal media account. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Greenwell to the region committee successful 2022, and helium was re-elected to the station successful 2024.

"It is with heavy sadness that we denote the passing of Commissioner Mike Greenwell, a lifelong Lee County resident," the station read. "He was a beardown advocator for the radical and businesses of Lee County and volition beryllium remembered for seeking meaningful solutions to the challenges his assemblage faced. We widen our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and each who were touched by his leadership."

"The Gator" was amended known for his shot exploits than his governmental career.

Born successful Louisville, Kentucky, Greenwell spent astir of his puerility successful Florida and played shot and shot astatine North Fort Myers High School.

Greenwell played his full large league vocation for Boston, making 2 All-Star appearances, winning the 1988 Silver Slugger Award and finishing 2nd successful that year's MVP voting to Oakland Athletics outfielder Jose Canseco. Greenwell was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame successful 2008.

He made his large league debut successful 1985 and appeared successful 31 games connected the 1986 American League champions, who mislaid 4-3 to the New York Mets successful a World Series filled with heartbreak for the Red Sox.

In 1987, Greenwell emerged arsenic Boston's full-time near fielder, taking implicit the presumption antecedently occupied by 3 MVPs -- Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice -- who would aboriginal go Hall of Famers.

Although helium fell abbreviated of those luminaries, the left-handed-hitting Greenwell had a coagulated career, finishing with a beingness batting mean of .303, 130 location runs, 726 RBIs and 80 stolen bases.

His champion play came successful 1988, erstwhile helium batted .325 with 22 homers, 119 RBIs and 16 stolen bases and deed for the rhythm successful a September game. Greenwell besides delivered a then-AL grounds 23 game-winning RBIs, a statistic that is nary longer recognized by Major League Baseball, and helium drove successful each of Boston's runs successful a late-season 9-6 triumph implicit Seattle.

That enactment him successful the MVP mix. When Canseco aboriginal acknowledged helium was utilizing steroids that season, Greenwell asked, "Where's my MVP?"

Greenwell earned his nickname for a outpouring grooming incidental successful which helium captured an alligator, taped its rima unopen and enactment it successful a teammate's locker successful Florida.

He played an abbreviated last play successful Japan, retiring abruptly aft conscionable 7 games due to the fact that of a fractured close ft helium suffered connected a foul ball.

After his playing career, Greenwell moved into car racing. He began competing successful late-model banal cars successful 2000 and made 2 starts successful NASCAR's Truck Series successful 2006. He retired successful 2010.

Greenwell and his woman had 2 sons, Bo and Garrett.