He died at 54 after a long battle with salivary gland cancer . He was a MLB All - Star and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 . I 'm gon na do everything in my power to continue to Hall of Fame ##r described his ` ` kindness , love and passion for the game '' His son , also an MLB outfielder , said , ` ` Today I lost my Dad , my best friend and my mentor ''
He died at 54 after a long battle with salivary gland cancer . He was a MLB All - Star and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 . Hall of Fame ##r described his ` ` kindness , love and passion for the game '' His son , also an MLB outfielder , said , ` ` Today I lost my Dad , my best friend and my mentor ''