Billy Bean, Second Openly Gay Ex-MLB Player Who Later Worked In Commissioner’s Office, Dies At 60
August 7, 2024 4:26AM PDT
FILE – Bill Bean, MLB’s vice president of Social Responsibility and Inclusion, throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the San Francisco Giants, June 17, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Billy Bean, who became the second former Major League Baseball player to come out as gay in 1999 before becoming the sport’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, has died.
He was 60.
MLB released a statement confirming his death.
Bean died at home Tuesday after a yearlong fight with acute myeloid leukemia.
The California native played in six big league seasons from 1987 to 1995, making his debut with the Detroit Tigers in a four-hit performance that tied a record for a player in his first game.
He publicly came out as gay in 1999, the second former major leaguer to do so after Glenn Burke.
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