MLB All-Star Ed Bressoud, who played for NY Giants and Mets before Willie Mays did, dies at 91 – New York Post
Sports
July 19, 2023 | 1:54 a.m.
Infielder Ed Bressoud, one of only two men to play for the New York Giants and Mets. baseball legend willie mays It was the other one, he died last week at the age of 91.
Bressoud died of cerebellar ataxia, an inability to coordinate muscle movement due to disease or injury to the cerebellum, according to the Times-Herald record.
He played with the Giants from 1956 to 1961, beginning his career at the Polo Grounds and moving West when the team moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season.
“I remember seeing signs from fans saying ‘Please don’t go.’ I never thought we would move to the west coast, but we did,” Bressoud told This Great Game. “It was a bit sad.”
After the 1961 season, he was selected in the MLB expansion draft by Houston, but he was traded to the Red Sox before even playing for the Colt 45.
He had his best years in Boston, where he spent four seasons.
Bressoud hit a career-high 20 home runs in 1963 and was selected for the All-Star Game at Shea Stadium in 1964.
“And I didn’t play, which has always irritated me, especially after watching the All-Star Game a few seasons ago. [2002] when they ran out of players,” he said. this great gameAnd he added: “I think the coach decided that he was going to stay with his best line-up and try to win that game. And I think that’s okay, although it was discouraging that I didn’t get a chance to participate.”
In 1964, Bressoud set career records in batting average, hits, runs, and doubles.
He played with the Mets in 1966, the first former New York Giant to wear the orange and blue.
Bressoud hit 10 home runs in his only season as a Met, then a team record for a shortstop, later tied by Kevin Elster in 1989 and surpassed by José Reyes in 2006.
Bressoud’s career ended with a title, winning the 1967 World Series with the Cardinals and appearing in two games against the Red Sox.
After his playing days, he coached and scouted in the Angels organization and was a faculty member and coach at De Anza College in California.
“When he walked into a room, he was a commanding presence,” his son Steve told the Times-Herald Record. “He would always say what he thought and engage in conversation and encouragement. He joked with everyone he liked ”.
