Damaso Garcia, former Blue Jays star, dead at age 63

Sam Jarden

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Damaso Garcia, former Blue Jays star, dead at age 63 image

Former Toronto Blue Jays infielder Damaso Garcia has died. 

Garcia's son, Damaso Jr., told ESPN that the former MLB All-Star passed away in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday at the age of 63.

The second-baseman spent 12 years in the MLB with the Yankees, Blue Jays, Braves and Expos. His best years came in Toronto, where he won the American League Silver Slugger award in 1982 and was named to the All-Star team twice in 1984 and 1985.

He spent several seasons as part of a Blue Jays infield that also included fellow Dominicans Tony Fernandez and Alfredo Griffin. Fernandez passed away in February at the age of 57.

"It is a big loss," Domingo Pichardo, president of Dominican team Tigres del Licey said. "In this short span of time, we have suffered the loss of our greatest double-play combination of the '80s. We are very sad."

Garcia began as a soccer player, even captaining his country at the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games, before switching his focus to baseball. He was discovered by Yankees scouts and made his MLB debut with the team in 1978. He finished his career with a .283 batting average, 36 home runs, 323 RBI and 203 stolen bases. 

In 1991, shortly after he retired, Garcia underwent treatment for a malignant brain tumor that was affecting his vision and motor functions. He eventually recovered enough to throw out the first pitch at a Blue Jays game in 1992. 

There was an outpouring of support on social media following Garcia's passing. 

Sam Jarden

Sam Jarden Photo

Sam Jarden joined Sporting News as an intern in 2020 and returned as a content producer in 2022. In between, he spent a year and a half at Turner Sports, managing the social media accounts for Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT, NBA TV and others. A proud UNC alumnus, he spends his free time following the Tar Heels, Buffalo Bills and Newcastle United FC, and has been known to occasionally hit the links.