SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres say Hall of Fame broadcaster Jerry Coleman, a former major league ballplayer whose pro career was interrupted by two wars, has died after a brief illness. He was 89.
Padres president Mike Dee says Coleman died at a hospital Sunday afternoon. He says the team was notified by Coleman’s wife, Maggie.
Says Dee: “It’s hard to put into words what Jerry meant to this franchise.”
Coleman spent more than 70 years in pro baseball, a career that included four World Series titles with the New York Yankees and was interrupted by World War II and the Korean War, when he served as a Marine Corps pilot. He flew 120 missions combined in the two wars.
