There have been many great outfields through Boston Red Sox history, from their “Golden Outfield” of the 1910s to the “Killer B’s” a century later.
One of the club’s more underrated outfields was their late 1980s trio of Mike Greenwell in left, Ellis Burks in center and Dwight Evans in right.
Sadly, one of those members is now gone, as Greenwell passed away on Thursday at age 62 following a battle with thyroid cancer.
After Greenwell’s passing, MLB.com’s Ian Browne spoke with Burks, who played with “Gator” for six seasons from 1987 to 1992 and shared some kind memories about him.
“Mike was an unbelievable teammate and an unbelievable friend. He and I were friends from Day 1,” Burks told Browne. “That’s a tremendous loss, not only to his family, but for me as well. It’s tough when you have a friend dealing with an illness for a while like that. My condolences go out to his family.”
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Burks debuted with the Red Sox two years after Greenwell. However, they were both officially rookies in 1987 and were essentially the same age, as Greenwell was only one year older than Burks.
Accordingly, the two spent a lot of time together on the field and off.
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“A lot of good moments we shared. A lot of highs and lows as far as winning and losing,” Burks said. “Off the field, that’s a guy I used to hang out with quite a bit. We’d go to dinner, have a beer [in the hotel lobby] or wherever. He’s going to be missed.”
Burks left Boston in free agency after the 1992 season, but Greenwell remained in Beantown, finishing his career with the Red Sox in 1996. A talented hitter and two-time All-Star, Greenwell retired with a career .303 batting average, a Silver Slugger award and more walks than strikeouts over 12 MLB seasons.
Featured image via RVR Photos/USA TODAY Images
