Rhéal Paul Cormier (; April 23, 1967 – March 8, 2021) was a

Canadian-American Canadian Americans is a term that can be applied to American citizens whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian, or citizens of either country that hold dual citizenship. The term ''Canadian'' can mean a nationality or an ethnicity. Canadian ...

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

left-handed pitcher who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB), for the St. Louis Cardinals,

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

(twice),

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They p ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

, and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

for 16 seasons, between 1991 through 2007. He was inducted into the

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (french: Temple de la renommée du baseball canadien) is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museum commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada. His ...

in the Class of 2012.

Early life

Cormier was born in

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because o ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...

, on April 23, 1967. His parents were Ronald and Jeanette Cormier; they were of

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the ...

descent. Cormier attended

Polyvalente Louis-J.-Robichaud Polyvalente Louis-J.-Robichaud is a Francophone high school in Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada. The school was named after the first elected Acadian premier of New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the ...

in his hometown. He went on to study at the Community College of Rhode Island, earning All-American honours in 1987 and 1988. Cormier pitched for the Canadian national baseball team at the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas ...

and the 1988 Olympics. He was subsequently drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth round of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft.

Professional career

Cormier made his major league debut on August 15, 1991. He was the St. Louis Cardinals'

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pitc ...

against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

, going six

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is ...

, giving up one

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...

, and striking out two. He pitched for St. Louis through the 1994 season. On April 9, 1995, St. Louis traded Cormier and

Mark Whiten Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fin ...

to the Boston Red Sox for

Cory Bailey Phillip Cory Bailey (born January 24, 1971) is a former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball between and . He batted and threw right-handed. Biography A Crab Orchard High School and Marion High School graduate, B ...

and Scott Cooper. In Boston, Cormier split time as a starter and a reliever. He had a 4.07

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA) in 1995. Following the 1995 season, the Red Sox traded Cormier with

Shayne Bennett Shayne Anthony Bennett (born 10 April 1972) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for North Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), and was a right-handed baseball pitcher, who last played in Major Leag ...

and

Ryan McGuire Ryan Byron McGuire (born November 23, 1971) is an American retired professional baseball player. He played six seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1997–2002, as a first baseman and outfielder. In his MLB career, he played for the Montreal Exp ...

to the Montreal Expos for

Wil Cordero Wilfredo Cordero Nieva (born October 3, 1971) is a former shortstop, first baseman, and outfielder in Major League Baseball. He was best known as a member of the Montreal Expos (1992–1995, 2002–2003). Cordero made his Major League Baseball d ...

and

Bryan Eversgerd Bryan David Eversgerd (born February 11, 1969) is an American professional baseball coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an indivi ...

. He only played in one game for the Expos in 1997, suffering an injury on April 5, 1997 in a game against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

where he gave up five runs in innings. The injury required

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's ...

and he transitioned to the bullpen for the remainder of his career starting in 1999. In 1998, he signed as a free agent with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

and began the year in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in N ...

before shoulder problems ended his season. 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 logged 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 a

win Win or WIN may refer to: * A victory Arts and entertainment Film * '' Win!'', a 2016 American film Literature * ''Win'' (Coben novel), a 2121 novel by Harlan Coben * WIN (pacifist magazine), published by the War Resisters League * WIN (wrest ...

Veterans Stadium Veterans Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, at the northeast corner of Broad Street (Philadelphia), Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The seating capa ...

in 2003 and the first to record one at the new

Citizens Bank Park Citizens Bank Park is a baseball stadium located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the city's South Philadelphia Sports Complex. It is the home playing field of the Philadelphia Phillies, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise. The st ...

in 2004. On July 31, 2006, Cormier was traded by Philadelphia to the Cincinnati Reds for pitching prospect

Justin Germano Justin William Germano (born August 6, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians. Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue ...

. The Reds, leading the National League (NL) wild card race at the time of the trade, sought bullpen help through the trade. The team failed to make the playoffs, however, finishing the season 8 games back in the wild card race. Cormier's 2006 season with the Reds included 21 appearances and a 4.50 ERA. On April 28, 2007, Cormier was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the play ...

by the Reds after a poor start to the 2007 campaign. He had three

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...

(IP), a 9.00 ERA, and one strikeout while pitching for Cincinnati that season. On May 13, 2007, the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...

signed Cormier to a minor league contract and assigned him to their AAA-affiliate, the

Richmond Braves The Richmond Braves were an American minor league baseball club based in Richmond, Virginia, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 2008. Owned by the parent Atlanta club and colloquially referred to as the ...

. He played only briefly for them before deciding to retire. In 2008, Cormier joined the

Moncton Mets The New Brunswick Senior Baseball League is the highest level of amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, i ...

, a senior team based in Moncton, New Brunswick, in an attempt to make a comeback and join the Canadian Olympic Team participating in the

2008 Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...

in Beijing. He had pitched for Moncton 21 years earlier, prior to his major league career.

International career

2006 World Baseball Classic

Prior to the 2006 season, Cormier played for the

Canada national baseball team The Canada national baseball team represents Canada in international baseball. They are overseen by Baseball Canada, the governing body of baseball in Canada. Their manager is Ernie Whitt, a former Major League Baseball catcher for the Toronto B ...

in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Leagu ...

. Despite winning two of three games, the team failed to advance beyond the first round. While their record matched

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

and Team Mexico, they were eliminated in the tie breaker because they allowed the most runs. Cormier appeared in two of the games (against Mexico and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

), pitching innings, giving up one hit, and allowing no earned runs.

Olympics

After representing Canada at the

, Cormier played for the Canadian national baseball team in the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

; at the time baseball was a

demonstration sport A demonstration sport, or exhibition sport, is a sport which is played to promote it, rather than as part of standard medal competition. This occurs commonly during the Olympic Games, but may also occur at other sporting events. Demonstration spor ...

. 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. In 2008, Cormier played for the Canadian national baseball team in the 2008 Summer Olympics. At age 41, Cormier was the oldest baseball player in the competition.

Personal life

Cormier and his wife Lucienne (née LeBlanc) had 2 children, Justin and Morgan. Cormier became a United States citizen on September 22, 2004. In 2012, Cormier was inducted into the

. In January 2020, Cormier was diagnosed with a tumour in his lungs. On March 8, 2021, Cormier died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of panc ...

at the age of 53.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cormier, Rheal 1967 births 2021 deaths Acadian people Akron Aeros players Arkansas Travelers players Baseball people from New Brunswick New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame inductees Baseball players at the 1987 Pan American Games Baseball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Boston Red Sox players Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States CCRI Knights baseball players Cincinnati Reds players Deaths from cancer in New Brunswick Deaths from pancreatic cancer Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Canada Montreal Expos players Olympic baseball players of Canada Pan American Games competitors for Canada Philadelphia Phillies players Reading Phillies players Richmond Braves players St. Louis Cardinals players St. Petersburg Cardinals players Sportspeople from Moncton World Baseball Classic players of Canada 2006 World Baseball Classic players Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees