“Literally willed himself to attend Old Timers’ Day” John Stearns passes away at 71, Former Mets’ catcher was battling cancer
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John Stearns
John Stearns was nicknamed as the ‘bad dude’ of Major League Baseball back between 1975-1984. The world of MLB received a sad news on 16th September that the 4-time All-Star passed away aged 71 after he was stuck in an inevitable battle with cancer. Sandy Alderson reflected on how John Stearns “literally willed himself to attend Old Timers’ Day last month so he could visit friends and old teammates.”
“As a coach, he always had your back,” former Mets closer John Franco said. “I saw how sick he was at Old Timers’ Day, and I think he was holding on just to get back to the ballpark and see some of the guys one more time.”
“No one played the game harder than John,” said former teammate and manager Joe Torre, who is now the special assistant to the Commissioner of Baseball. “He never came to the park in a bad mood. All he wanted to do was win. To be a four-time All-Star is something special.”
John Stearns’ career in Major League Baseball
John Stearns started his career with the Philadelphia Phillies but could only be a presence in 1 match for the entire 1974 season. He established a name for himself with the New York Mets who he joined in 1975 and played throughout till 1984.
In the 10-season long MLB career John Stearns was involved in many memorable moments, one comprising of a brawl that he was a part of against Montreal Expos, but at age 27, it was his last season with 100 or more games. He also set personal highs in at-bats, hits and doubles.
In 1986, John Stearns was invited by the Milwaukee Brewers to accept the position of a scout and minor league instructor. 3 years later he was announced as the New York Yankees’ bullpen coach. He kept his life surrounded by the glamour of baseball until on July 2022, John Stearns was diagnosed with stage IV prostate cancer.
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Yagya Bhargava
(611 Articles Published)