Jerry Remy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jerry Remy |
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Remy with the Boston Red Sox in 1978
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| Second baseman | |||
| Born: November 8, 1952 Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Died: October 30, 2021 (aged 68) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 7, 1975, for the California Angels | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| May 18, 1984, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .275 | ||
| Home runs | 7 | ||
| Runs batted in | 329 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Jerry Remy (born November 8, 1952 – died October 30, 2021) was an American professional baseball player. He was also a popular sports broadcaster. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for ten seasons. He spent three years with the California Angels (1975–1977). Then he played seven years with the Boston Red Sox (1978–1984).
After he stopped playing, Remy became a color commentator for televised Red Sox games. He worked for 33 years until his death. He started commentating with the New England Sports Network (NESN) in 1988. He was a very popular person in Boston. Fans knew him for his fun and exciting game commentary. He was nicknamed "RemDawg" and was even called "President" of Red Sox Nation in 2007. Jerry Remy also owned restaurants and wrote books about baseball.
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Early Life and Baseball Start
Jerry Remy was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, on November 8, 1952. He grew up in nearby Somerset. He went to Somerset High School. Later, he attended Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island.
Remy was first chosen by the Washington Senators in the 1970 MLB draft. But he did not sign with them. He was then picked by the California Angels in the 1971 MLB draft. He signed with the Angels and began his professional baseball journey.
Playing in the Minor Leagues (1971–1974)
Before reaching the major leagues, Remy played four seasons in the Angels' farm system. He played for teams like the Magic Valley Cowboys and the Stockton Ports. In 1973, he played for the Quad City Angels, hitting .335. He also played for the El Paso Diablos and the Salt Lake City Angels. Overall, in the minor leagues, he batted .275.
Playing for the California Angels (1975–1977)
Remy made his major league debut with the Angels on April 7, 1975. In his first game, he hit a single. In 1975, he played 147 games as the Angels' second baseman. He batted .258 with one home run and 46 RBIs. He also stole 34 bases.
In 1976, his batting average went up slightly to .263. In 1977, he hit a career-high four home runs. He was also named team captain of the Angels in June 1977. This made him only the second captain in the team's history.
In three seasons with the Angels, Remy played in 444 games. He batted .258 with five home runs and 118 RBIs. He also stole 110 bases. In December 1977, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox.
Playing for the Boston Red Sox (1978–1984)
Remy became the Red Sox's starting second baseman in 1978. He was chosen for the MLB All-Star Game that year. In 1978, he batted .278 with 44 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in 148 games. He also hit two home runs, which were the last of his career.
Remy continued to play second base for Boston for six more seasons. He often dealt with injuries during this time. In 1979, he played 80 games and batted .297. In 1980, he had his best batting average at .313. However, he was limited to only 63 games that year.
In 1982, Remy played in a career-high 155 games, batting .280. In 1983, he batted .275 in 146 games. In 1984, a knee injury limited him to just 30 games. He batted .250 that season. His last MLB game was on May 18, 1984. He was released by the Red Sox in 1985 and retired in 1986.
During his seven seasons with the Red Sox, Remy played in 710 games. He batted .286 with two home runs, 211 RBIs, and 98 stolen bases. In his entire ten-year MLB career, Remy batted .275 with seven home runs, 329 RBIs, and 208 stolen bases in 1154 games. He was a strong defensive player, with a .981 fielding percentage.
After Playing Baseball
Becoming a Broadcaster
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Jerry Remy
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Remy at the White House in 2019
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| Years active | 1988–2021 |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Team(s) | Boston Red Sox |
| Genre(s) | Color commentator |
| Sports | Major League Baseball |
After his playing career, Jerry Remy became a very successful broadcaster. He worked for the New England Sports Network (NESN) as the regular color commentator for Red Sox games. He worked with different play-by-play announcers over the years, including Don Orsillo and Dave O'Brien. He also had a website called The Remy Report, which shared news about the Boston Red Sox.
Opening Restaurants
Remy owned a hot dog stand called RemDawg's. This name was a tribute to his nickname among Red Sox fans. It was located right outside Fenway Park. He also owned Jerry Remy's Sports Bar & Grill locations. One was at Logan International Airport. Other locations were in Boston and Fall River.
Writing Books
Jerry Remy wrote three books about baseball. He also wrote several children's books about the Red Sox mascot, Wally the Green Monster. These children's books started as an idea from Remy's fun stories during his broadcasts.
- Remy, Jerry (2004). Watching Baseball: Discovering the Game within the Game. with Corey Sandler. Globe Pequot. ISBN 0762730757. https://archive.org/details/watchingbaseball00remy.
- Remy, Jerry (2009). Jerry Remy's Red Sox Heroes: The RemDawg's All-Time Favorite Red Sox, Great Moments, and Top Teams. with Corey Sandler. Lyons Press. ISBN 978-1599214061.
- Remy, Jerry; Cafardo, Nick (2019). If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Boston Red Sox Dugout, Locker Room, and Press Box. Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1629375458.
- Wally the Green Monster series
- Remy, Jerry (2006). Hello, Wally!. Illustrated by Danny Moore. Mascot Books. ISBN 1-932888-80-2. https://mascotbooks.com/mascot-marketplace/buy-books/childrens/teams-and-schools/professional-sports/mlb/boston-red-sox/hello-wally/.
- Remy, Jerry (2007). Wally the Green Monster and His Journey Through Red Sox Nation!. Illustrated by Danny Moore. Mascot Books. ISBN 978-1932888898. https://archive.org/details/wallygreenmonste00jerr.
- Remy, Jerry (2008). A Season With Wally the Green Monster. Illustrated by Kevin Coffey. Mascot Books. ISBN 978-1934878071.
- Remy, Jerry (2008). Coast to Coast With Wally the Green Monster. Illustrated by Justin Hilton. Mascot Books. ISBN 978-1934878088.
- Remy, Jerry (2009). Wally the Green Monster and His World Tour. Illustrated by Danny Moore. Mascot Books. ISBN 978-1934878491.
In 2012, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, Red Sox player Dustin Pedroia wrote a sixth book in the Wally the Green Monster series.
Charity Work
Remy was very involved with The Jimmy Fund. This charity helps support the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, which treats cancer patients. He often invited cancer patients to the broadcast booth. He also visited patients in hospitals and took part in their yearly fundraising events.
Health Challenges
In November 2008, Remy had surgery for a small cancerous area in his lung. During his recovery, he faced an infection and pneumonia. He took some time off from broadcasting to recover.
In August 2009, Remy visited Fenway Park. He told everyone he planned to return to broadcasting. He spoke with broadcasters in the NESN booth and received a standing ovation from the crowd. He returned to commentating on August 21, 2009. He came back full-time for the 2010 baseball season.
In April 2013, he announced that cancer was found again in his lungs. He took time off again in May 2013 due to pneumonia. He returned to the booth in June 2013. He also took a leave of absence in August 2013, returning for the 2014 season. He had another leave during the 2016–17 off-season.
On June 12, 2017, Remy announced that his lung cancer had returned. In January 2018, he shared that he had finished his treatments. A fourth cancer diagnosis was announced in August 2018. After more treatments, Remy announced in November 2018 that he was cancer-free.
On June 11, 2021, Remy left a game he was commentating due to shortness of breath. He was admitted to the hospital and released five days later. He returned to broadcasting on June 20. On August 4, Remy announced he would step away from NESN for more lung cancer treatment. On October 5, he made his final public appearance at Fenway Park. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the AL Wild Card Game.
Jerry Remy died of lung cancer on October 30, 2021. He passed away nine days before his 69th birthday.
Legacy and Honors
Jerry Remy and his broadcast partner Don Orsillo won four New England Emmy awards. In 2004, Sports Illustrated voted Remy as Massachusetts' favorite sports announcer. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2007, he was elected honorary President of Red Sox Nation.
NESN and the Red Sox celebrated Jerry Remy Day at Fenway Park on June 24, 2008. This honored his 20 years of work for the network. In 2017, he was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
After his death, many people shared how much they admired him. Veteran sports broadcaster Joe Buck called Remy's career "legendary." He said Remy was a "force in the booth." Broadcaster Sean McDonough said his time working with Remy "felt special."
On April 15, 2022, the Red Sox announced that the NESN broadcasting booth at Fenway Park was named the Jerry Remy Booth in his memory. A special plaque also honors him there. The team held a ceremony to honor Remy on April 20. Many of his former teammates attended, including Dennis Eckersley and Carl Yastrzemski.
Family
Jerry Remy and his wife Phoebe had three children: Jared, Jordan, and Jenna.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders
- List of Boston Red Sox broadcasters
