The New York Yankees paid tribute to the late Billy Bean, MLB’s senior vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a moment of silence before their doubleheader against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.
Bean, who became the second former MLB player to publicly come out as gay in 1999, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 60 after battling acute myeloid leukemia for a year.
“He was really easy to talk to and be around,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He was just a good guy. It’s a sad day for our sport. The position that the commissioner created for him years ago helped promote tolerance and understanding in our sport. Billy worked to bring people together and will be missed.”
Bean, originally from California, played six seasons in the major leagues from 1987 to 1995 with the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres. He made his debut in 1987 with a four-hit game for the Tigers and appeared in 272 games in total.
A former All-American outfielder at Loyola Marymount, Bean wrote a book called “Going the Other Way” and spoke at many events. He publicly came out as gay in 1999, following Glenn Burke.
Bean joined MLB’s commissioner’s office in 2014 as the first Ambassador for Inclusion, a role created by former Commissioner Bud Selig. He worked for MLB for over a decade and was later promoted to senior vice president.
