Dave McCarty, a veteran of Major League Baseball and a member of the Boston Red Sox’ 2004 World Series-winning team, passed away in California at the age of 54 due to a “cardiac event,” as announced by the team on Friday.
The Red Sox issued a statement expressing their sorrow at McCarty’s passing, highlighting his contributions during his three seasons with the team. McCarty played a significant role in the historic 2004 World Series victory, breaking the team’s curse. The statement conveyed condolences to his wife, Monica, and their children, Reid and Maxine.
Throughout his career, McCarty played for several teams including the Minnesota Twins (1993–1995), San Francisco Giants (1995–1996), Seattle Mariners (1998), Kansas City Royals (2000–2002), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2002), Oakland Athletics (2003), and Boston Red Sox (2003–2005). A right-handed batter and left-handed thrower, he amassed 362 hits, 36 home runs, 175 RBI, and held a career batting average of .242 over 11 seasons.
Notably, McCarty made three pitching appearances for the Red Sox in 2004. These included pitching during the April 9 home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, the June 12 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers where he struck out Jayson Werth, and the final game of the season against the Baltimore Orioles where he pitched two scoreless innings and struck out Rafael Palmeiro, Larry Bigbie, and David Newhan.
