| Rhéal Cormier | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1967-04-23)April 23, 1967 Moncton,New Brunswick, Canada | |
| Died: March 8, 2021(2021-03-08) (aged 53) Cap-Pelé, New Brunswick, Canada | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 15, 1991, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 18, 2007, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 71–64 |
| Earned run average | 4.03 |
| Strikeouts | 760 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Member of the Canadian | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2012 |
Rhéal Paul Cormier[1] (French pronunciation:[ʁealpolkɔʁmje]; April 23, 1967 – March 8, 2021) was aCanadian-American professionalbaseball left-handed pitcher who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB), for theSt. Louis Cardinals,Boston Red Sox (twice),Montreal Expos,Philadelphia Phillies, andCincinnati Reds for 16 seasons, between 1991 through 2007.
He was inducted into theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2012.
Cormier was born inMoncton,New Brunswick, on April 23, 1967.[2] His parents were Ronald and Jeanette Cormier;[3] they were ofAcadian descent.[4] Cormier attendedPolyvalente Louis-J.-Robichaud in his hometown.[2] He went on to study at theCommunity College of Rhode Island,[2] earningAll-American honours in 1987 and 1988.[3] Cormier pitched for theCanadian national baseball team at the1987 Pan American Games and the1988 Olympics.[5] He was subsequently drafted by theSt. Louis Cardinals in the sixth round of the1988 Major League Baseball draft.[2]
Cormier made his major league debut on August 15, 1991.[2] He was the St. Louis Cardinals'starting pitcher against theNew York Mets, going sixinnings, giving up oneearned run, andstriking out two.[6] He pitched for St. Louis through the 1994 season. On April 9, 1995, St. Louis traded Cormier andMark Whiten to the Boston Red Sox forCory Bailey andScott Cooper.[7] In Boston, Cormier split time as a starter and areliever. He had a 4.07earned run average (ERA) in 1995.[2]
Following the 1995 season, the Red Sox traded Cormier withShayne Bennett andRyan McGuire to the Montreal Expos forWil Cordero andBryan Eversgerd.[8] He only played in one game for the Expos in 1997, suffering an injury on April 5, 1997, in a game against theColorado Rockies where he gave up five runs in1+1⁄3 innings.[9] The injury requiredTommy John surgery and he transitioned to the bullpen for the remainder of his career starting in 1999.[10]
In 1998, he signed as a free agent with theCleveland Indians[2] and began the year in theminor leagues before shoulder problems ended his season.[11]
In 1999, Cormier signed a free agent deal to return to Boston. In two seasons, he made 124 appearances for the Red Sox, all of which came in relief. After the 2000 season, the Philadelphia Phillies signed the reliever as a free agent. In the next six seasons with the Phillies (his longest tenure with any major league team), Cormier had his most successful years. In 2003, he logged84+2⁄3 innings and a career-best ERA of 1.70. In 2004, he made 84 appearances, a career high. Cormier was the last Phillies pitcher to record awin atVeterans Stadium in 2003 and the first to record one at the newCitizens Bank Park in 2004.[12] On July 31, 2006, Cormier was traded by Philadelphia to the Cincinnati Reds for pitching prospectJustin Germano.[2] The Reds, leading the National League (NL)wild card race at the time of the trade, sought bullpen help through the trade.[13] The team failed to make the playoffs, however, finishing the season 8 games back in the wild card race.[14] Cormier's 2006 season with the Reds included 21 appearances and a 4.50 ERA.[2]
On April 28, 2007, Cormier wasdesignated for assignment by the Reds after a poor start to the 2007 campaign. He had threeinnings pitched (IP), a 9.00 ERA, and one strikeout while pitching for Cincinnati that season. On May 13, 2007, theAtlanta Braves signed Cormier to a minor league contract and assigned him to their AAA-affiliate, theRichmond Braves.[2][15] He played only briefly for them before deciding to retire.[16]
In 2008, Cormier joined theMoncton Mets, a senior team based in Moncton, New Brunswick, in an attempt to make a comeback and join the Canadian Olympic Team participating in the2008 Olympics in Beijing. He had pitched for Moncton 21 years earlier, prior to his major league career.[17]
Prior to the 2006 season, Cormier played for theCanada national baseball team in theWorld Baseball Classic. Despite winning two of three games, the team failed to advance beyond the first round. While their record matchedTeam USA andTeam Mexico, they were eliminated in the tie breaker because they allowed the most runs.[18] Cormier appeared in two of the games (against Mexico andSouth Africa), pitching1+2⁄3 innings, giving up onehit, and allowing no earned runs.[19]
After representing Canada at the1987 Pan American Games,[citation needed] Cormier played for the Canadian national baseball team in the1988 Summer Olympics inSeoul,South Korea; at the time baseball was ademonstration sport.[20] The Canadian team did not win a medal during this competition, ending with a 1–2 record. The squad's lone win, however, did come against the eventual gold medal-winning American team.[21]
In 2008, Cormier played for the Canadian national baseball team in the2008 Summer Olympics. At age 41, Cormier was the oldest baseball player in the competition.[22]
Cormier and his wife Lucienne (née LeBlanc) had two children, Justin and Morgan. Cormier became a United States citizen on September 22, 2004.[3]
In 2012, Cormier was inducted into theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame.[23]
In January 2020, Cormier was diagnosed with a tumour in his lungs. On March 8, 2021, Cormier died ofpancreatic cancer at the age of 53.[24]