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Mike Hegan

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Mike Hegan
First baseman / Outfielder
Born: (1942-07-21)July 21, 1942
Cleveland, Ohio
Died: December 25, 2013(2013-12-25) (aged 71)
Hilton Head, South Carolina
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 13, 1964, for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
July 8, 1977, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
Batting average.242
Home runs53
Runs batted in229
Teams
Career highlights and awards

James Michael "Mike" Hegan (July 21, 1942 – December 25, 2013) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman, outfielder and later broadcaster. He was the son of longtime Cleveland Indians catcher Jim Hegan.[1]

A graduate of Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Hegan began his major league career with the New York Yankees in 1964, also playing for the Seattle Pilots (for whom he hit the first home run in franchise history in his first at-bat with the team in 1969), Milwaukee Brewers, and Oakland Athletics as an outfielder and first baseman. He was one of two Pilots to represent the team at the All-Star Game in their lone year of existence, along with Don Mincher. He was a member of the 1972 World Champion Oakland Athletics, chiefly as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement for starting first baseman Mike Epstein. Hegan was the last batter in the (pre-renovation) Yankee Stadium, flying out to center field as the Yankees lost to Detroit, 8–5 on September 30, 1973. During that 1973 season, he was one of the few players to be coached by his father, as Jim Hegan was on manager Ralph Houk's staff. On September 3, 1976, he became the first Brewer to hit for the cycle. Hegan also held the American League record for most consecutive error-less games as a first baseman (178), until it was broken by Kevin Youkilis on September 7, 2007.

After his retirement from baseball as a player, Hegan spent the next twelve seasons as a television color commentator for the Brewers.[1] In 1989 he was hired by the Cleveland Indians, and served as a commentator for the team on both radio and television for the next 23 seasons.[2][3]

In 2012, Hegan left the broadcast booth for a role with the Indians as an alumni ambassador. However, on May 23 of that year he filled in for a game against the Detroit Tigers. He died on December 25, 2013 in his home in Hilton Head, South Carolina due to heart failure at the age of 71. Heart problems had forced Hegan to retire from broadcasting.[4]

Awards

  • 1969 MLB All Star Game selection (with the Seattle Pilots)
  • 1972 World Series Champion (with the Oakland A's)
  • 2011 Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame inductee[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b AP News Services (December 27, 2013) "Mike Hegan Baseball Player, Broadcaster" The Washington Post, page B4. Retrieved December 28, 2013 [1]
  2. ^ Anthony Castrovince (2006-10-16). "Indians broadcast teams adjusted". MLB.com. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
  3. ^ "Cleveland Indians Broadcasters". Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  4. ^ Ingraham, Jim (December 25, 2013). "Indians: Former broadcaster Mike Hegan dies". The News-Herald. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  5. ^ Hegan enshrined in Cleveland Sports HOF – Cleveland Sports Hall.com
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