Jeremy Giambi, Ex-MLB Player, Dead at 47

By Brian Jones

Jeremy Giambi, a former MLB player who spent time the majority of his time with the Oakland Athletics, died Wednesday at his parents' home in Southern California, according to a statement from agent Joel Wolfe, per ESPN. He was 47 years old. The cause of death was not revealed, and shortly after the announcement was made, the A's posted a message on social media. 

"We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of a member of our Green and Gold family, Jeremy Giambi," the A's said in a statement. "We offer our condolences to Jeanne, Jason, and his family and friends." Giambi started his MLB career with the Kansas City Royals in 1998. He was with the team for two seasons before joining the A's in 2000. During the 2002 season, Giambi was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies and would stay with the team for the rest of the season. He spent his final Major League season with the Boston Red Sox in 2003 but signed minor league deals with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004 and the Chicago White Sox in 2005. 

Giambi was involved in one of the more memorable plays in MLB history. In the 2001 ALDS, the A's were playing the New York Yankees, and in Game 3 of the series, Giambi was tagged out at home. But what made the play special is Giambi was called out after Derek Jeter flipped the ball to Jorge Posada while he was going away from him. Many people believe if Giambi slid, he would have been safe.

"Now that we know what happened, it's maybe I should've slid," Giambi told The Athletic in 2020. "If I slid and I was out, maybe the question would be, should I have run Posada over? And then I think, well, maybe I should've taken him out. And then I think back to when Pete Rose took out Ray Fosse (in the 1970 All-Star Game) and I think, well, what happens if I ruin Posada's career?" Giambi finished his career with a .263 batting average with 52 home runs and 209 runs batted in. His older brother, Jason, was an MLB player who spent time with the A's, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies in Cleveland Indians.

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