Andy Carey, Former Yankees Third Baseman, Dies
It’s a sad day indeed for true Yankees fans. Andy Carey, part of 1950s Yankees club that won four straight American League pennants and two World Series, has passed away. He was 80-years-old.
According to the New York Times, the cause of Carey’s death was due to Lewy body dementia, a gradual deterioration of the mind closely allied to both Alzheimers and Parkinson’s Diseases.
Joining the Yankees in 1952, Andy Carey became a regular at third a few years later and batted in a lineup consisting of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Moose Skowron and Hank Bauer.
In 1954 Andy had his best season, batting .302 in 122 games. In 1955 Carey led the MLB in triples with 11.
The Times also pointed out that Carey twice helped preserve the only perfect World Series game, pitched by Don Larsen against the Dodgers on Oct. 8, 1956.
The paper writes:
“In the second inning, the Dodgers’ Jackie Robinson smacked a shot between third and short that Carey knocked down, allowing Yankees shortstop Gil McDougald to pick up the ball and nip Robinson at first. In the eighth, he robbed Gil Hodges by snaring a low line drive that seemed headed for left field.”
Following his time with the Yanks, Carey went on to play for two other teams (Kansas City Athletics and Chicago White Sox) before ending his career on September 30, 1962 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Over the course of his 11 years as a major leaguer, he had a .260 batting average, with 64 home runs, and 350 RBIs.
Carey is survived by his wife, Susie; a sister, Sandy Carey; daughter, Elizabeth; another daughter, Jennifer James; a son, Christopher; and three granddaughters.
