News agency

NEW YORK (AFP) – The New York Yankees honored the late Major League Baseball vice president Billy Beane with a moment of silence before their doubleheader with the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.

Bean, who became the second former Major League Baseball player to come out as gay in 1999, died Tuesday at age 60 after a year-long battle with acute myeloid leukemia.

“He’s really easy to talk to, he’s really easy to be around,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s a good guy, so it’s definitely a sad day for our sport, but I also think that the guy who I think by creating the position that the commissioner created for him several years ago, I think he’s created more tolerance in our sport and an understanding that there are a lot more similarities between us than when we always focus on the differences.”

“Billy was definitely a guy who definitely helped bring people together and move the needle in that regard and he’s someone we’ll miss.”

The California native played six major league seasons from 1987 to 1995 with the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. He made his professional debut with a four-hit performance in 1987 for the Tigers and appeared in 272 games.

A former Loyola Marymount player, Ben has written a book called “Going the Other Way” and has been a keynote speaker at numerous events. He came out publicly as gay in 1999, the second former major league player to do so after Glenn Burke.

Bean joined the commissioner’s office in 2014, when he was appointed by former commissioner Bud Selig to serve as MLB’s first ambassador for inclusion. He spent more than 10 years working for MLB, eventually being promoted to senior vice president.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb