Jeremy Giambi, the brother of former Yankees star Jason Giambi and who played parts of six seasons in MLB, died Wednesday at his parents’ home in Southern California, police and his agent said. He was 47.
Officers responding around 11:30 a.m. to reports of a medical emergency found Giambi dead at the residence in Claremont, east of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office will determine the cause of death, police said.
Giambi’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said the family requested “that we all respect their privacy during this difficult time.”
The Giambi brothers were teammates on the Oakland Athletics for two seasons, from 2000-01. Jeremy Giambi also played for the Royals, Phillies and Red Sox. The outfielder hit 52 home runs with 209 RBIs in 510 career games.
“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of a member of our Green and Gold family, Jeremy Giambi,” the Athletics wrote on Twitter. “We offer our condolences to Jeanne, Jason, and his family and friends.”
Giambi was perhaps best known for being tagged out on the Derek Jeter “flip play” in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS between the Yankees and A’s. Giambi did not slide and was tagged out by Jorge Posada, keeping the Yankees, who had lost the first two games of the series, ahead 1-0. The Yankees won the game and went on to reach the World Series.
A member of Cal State Fullerton’s 1995 College World Series championship team, Giambi was drafted in the sixth round by the Royals in 1996 and made his MLB debut for Kansas City on Sept. 1, 1998. The A’s acquired him in a trade before the 2000 season, bringing the Giambi brothers together.
Giambi was portrayed by Nick Porrazzo in the 2011 film “Moneyball,” the film adaptation of Michael Lewis’ book about the analytical Billy Beane Athletics, which starred Brad Pitt.
Giambi testified before a federal grand jury in San Francisco investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, or BALCO, the company at the center of the sports steroid scandal. He was quoted by The Kansas City Star in 2005 as admitting he used steroids.
“It’s something I did,” Giambi told the newspaper. “I apologize. I made a mistake. I moved on.”
In a 2007 report by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell into drugs in baseball, BALCO founder Victor Conte said he sold steroids known as “the cream” and “the clear” and advised on their use to dozens of elite athletes, including Jason and Jeremy Giambi.
— With AP