Jim Corsi, a native of Newton, Mass., who went on to pitch for his hometown Boston Red Sox, passed away early Tuesday morning from late-stage liver and colon cancer, according to WBZ's Steve Burton.
Corsi had recently revealed his diagnosis to Burton in an emotional interview in which he urged viewers to keep up with their routine health checks.
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"I made a mistake when I was younger by not getting a colonoscopy," Corsi said. "I should have done it. If you’re out there, don’t wait. Don’t be stupid. I was a professional athlete and thought I was invincible, strong. You’re not. Cancer is not prejudiced to anybody."
Corsi passed way at his home in Bellingham, Mass., with his family by his side, per Burton.
After graduating from Newton North High School, Corsi pitched for Division II St. Leo University in Florida before the New York Yankees selected him in the 1982 MLB Draft.
He spent four years in the Yankees' minor league system and two in Boston's before breaking into the big leagues with the Oakland Athletics in 1988. Corsi won a World Series with Oakland in 1989 and enjoyed a 10-year professional career, spending three seasons with the Red Sox from 1997 to 1999 while compiling a 3.35 ERA for Boston over 134 relief appearances.
Boston Red Sox
A Boston-area native through and through, Corsi returned to Massachusetts following his playing career and ran a construction company with his brothers.
"The big thing that stands out with Jim, is ... he’s not just your friend, he had like 24 other friends on the team, and not too many guys have that," Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley said of his former A's teammate.
"Jim was as friendly as anything to everybody. Everybody had a relationship with him."