BOSTON (AP) — Mike Greenwell, the longtime Boston Red Sox outfielder affectionately known as “The Gator,” died Thursday in Boston after a battle with medullary thyroid cancer. He was 62.
His wife, Tracy Greenwell, confirmed the news to WINK Radio in Lee County, Florida, saying her husband passed away at 10:30 a.m. at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“With a heavy heart, I lost my best friend today,” she wrote on social media. “It was Mike’s time to be an angel. We are forever grateful for the life he has given us.”
The Boston Globe first reported in August that Greenwell had been diagnosed with the rare form of thyroid cancer over the summer.
From the Diamond to Public Service
In addition to his baseball legacy, Greenwell had become a prominent community leader in Florida. He was appointed to the Lee County Commission by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2022 and was re-elected in 2024.
“He was a strong advocate for the people and businesses of Lee County,” the county government said in a statement. “He will be remembered for seeking meaningful solutions to the challenges his community faced.”
A Red Sox Mainstay
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, and raised in Fort Myers, Florida, Greenwell spent his entire 12-season MLB career with the Red Sox from 1985 to 1996. He made two All-Star appearances, won the 1988 Silver Slugger Award, and finished second in American League MVP voting that same year behind José Canseco of the Oakland Athletics.
That 1988 season was Greenwell’s finest: he batted .325 with 22 home runs, 119 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases, hitting for the cycle in September and driving in all nine of Boston’s runs in a 9–6 win over Seattle late that season.
He also set a then–AL record with 23 game-winning RBIs, a stat no longer tracked by Major League Baseball. When Canseco later admitted to using steroids during his MVP year, Greenwell famously quipped, “Where’s my MVP?”
Filling Legendary Shoes
Greenwell made his big-league debut in 1985 and was part of Boston’s 1986 AL championship team, which fell to the New York Mets in a heartbreaking seven-game World Series. The following year, he became the team’s everyday left fielder, succeeding three Red Sox legends — Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Jim Rice — all of whom later entered the Hall of Fame.
Though he never reached those legendary heights, Greenwell carved out an impressive career, finishing with a .303 lifetime average, 130 home runs, 726 RBIs, and 80 stolen bases.
“He had big shoes to fill in left field, and he did a damn good job,” said former Red Sox pitcher Bob Stanley. “He played hard and never forgot where he came from — Fort Myers. Just a great guy. We’ll all miss him.”
Greenwell was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008.
‘The Gator’ and Beyond
His nickname came from a memorable spring training prank in Florida, when he captured an alligator, taped its mouth shut, and placed it in a teammate’s locker.
After retiring from baseball, Greenwell pursued another lifelong passion — auto racing. He competed in late-model stock cars, winning a track championship at New Smyrna Speedway in 2000, and made two starts in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2006 before retiring from racing in 2010.
“You always wanted to be around him — I truly enjoyed my time with him,” said former Red Sox teammate Dwight Evans. “He was a gamer in every sense of the word, and he will be deeply missed.”
Greenwell is survived by his wife, Tracy, and their two sons, Bo and Garrett.
