Billy Bean, who played parts of six seasons with the Tigers, Dodgers and Padres and was Major League Baseball’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, died Tuesday after a year-long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He was 60.
In 1999, Bean became the second former Major League Baseball player to come out as gay. Glenn Burke was the first.
“Billy was a friend to countless people across our game, and he made a difference through his constant dedication to others. He made Baseball a better institution, both on and off the field, by the power of his example, his empathy, his communication skills, his deep relationships inside and outside our sport, and his commitment to doing the right thing,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Billy’s husband, Greg Baker, and their entire family.”
We mourn the passing of Billy Bean, a former Dodger and pioneering executive who as MLB’s Senior Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion truly elevated the culture and spirit of the game he loved. pic.twitter.com/fFykeWFWbi
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 6, 2024
Bean joined MLB in 2014, hired by then-commissioner Bud Selig as ambassador for inclusion. As a senior advisor to Manfred, Bean’s role focused on player education, LGBTQ inclusion, and social justice initiatives.
Bean, a Santa Ana native who played at Loyola Marymount, broke into the majors in 1987 with the Tigers. On July 17, 1989, Bean was traded to the Dodgers, with whom he played 51 games. After two seasons in the minors and one playing in Japan, Bean returned to the U.S., playing for the Padres from 1993-95 before retiring.