Major League Baseball announced the death of Billy Bean, its second player to come out as gay and its first-ever Ambassador for Inclusion.
The league announced in a press release Tuesday that Bean succumbed to acute myeloid leukemia after a year-long battle. He was 60.
MLB just released this statement on the death of Billy Bean, the former OF and the league’s senior VP for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, among other titles.
Bean became the second major league player to publicly come out as gay in 1999. pic.twitter.com/qtoOxDCHMu
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) August 6, 2024
Bean played for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres over parts of six seasons from 1987-95.
“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 in a statement. “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. 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.”
Jason O. Watson/Getty Images
In his first major league game with the Tigers in 1987, a 22-year-old Beane collected a record four hits. He hit his second pitch for a double and singled his next two times up.
Billy Bean left an indelible mark with his kindness, sincerity and tireless efforts to advance the causes of diversity and inclusion in baseball. The Players Association extends its heartfelt sympathies to his family and friends throughout the game. pic.twitter.com/6KHvcv4ZcR
— MLBPA (@MLBPA) August 6, 2024
Beane retired with a .226 average, five home runs, and 53 RBIs in 272 games.
According to the release from MLB, Bean was a two-time All-American outfielder at Loyola Marymount University before graduating with a degree in Business Administration. He was also selected as the valedictorian of his graduating class at Santa Ana High School.
Bean’s most influential work came after he retired. In an interview with the Miami Herald in 1999, Bean became the second MLB player ever to come out as gay.
“I went to Hooters, laughed at the jokes, lied about dates because I loved baseball,” Bean told the Associated Press in a 1999 interview. “I still do. I’d go back in a minute. I only wish that I hadn’t felt so alone, that I could have told someone, and that I hadn’t always felt God was going to strike me dead.”
In 2014, then-commissioner Bud Selig hired Bean as MLB‘s first-ever Ambassador for Inclusion. As a senior advisor to Manfred, Bean’s role focused on player education, LGBTQ inclusion, and social justice initiatives, according to the league.
Among his responsibilities, Bean worked with teams to advance equality for all players, coaches, managers, umpires, employees, and stakeholders to ensure an equitable, inclusive, and supportive workplace for everyone.
In a 2015 interview with the Los Angeles Daily News, Bean said the sport had become a more inclusive place since his retirement.
“The players for the first time are seeing a different ideology then when I was playing,” he said. “When I was playing, the other players talked about gays and lesbians, it wasn’t something you would put in public press.”