Dave McCarty, first baseman and outfielder for the 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox, died Friday in Oakland, California. He passed away at the age of 54.
The Red Sox announced his death, saying the cause of death was “heart disease.”
McCarty was a member of the 2004 crowd gathered at Fenway Park on April 9 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the World Series and to remember Tim Wakefield and his wife Stacey, who died of cancer within the past six months. He was one of the team members.
McCarty’s Red Sox teammate Kevin Youkilis paid tribute to him on social media.
“You never know when it will be the last time you see someone. Grateful for a great ’04 reunion and to be able to board a flight back to the Bay Area with Dave McCarty,” he wrote. . “A great father, husband, teammate, and friend. Thank you Big Mac for teaching me how to be a big leaguer!”
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The Minnesota Twins selected McCarty with the third overall pick in the 1991 draft out of Stanford University. He made his major league debut with the Twins in 1993 and went on to play for 11 seasons with six teams: the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, and Red Sox.
McCarty played in 630 games during his career, batting .242 with 36 home runs and 175 RBIs.
He worked as an analyst for NESN from July 2005 until the 2008 season.
