Billy Bean, who in 1999 became the second former Major League Baseball player to come out as gay and later became the sport’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, has died. He was 60.
MLB released a statement confirming his death. Bean died at home on Tuesday nearly a year after he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
The California native played in six big league seasons from 1987 to 1995, making his debut with the Detroit Tigers in a four-hit performance that tied a record for a player in his first game. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. He was a two-time All-American outfielder at Loyola Marymount, leading the team to the Men’s College World Series in 1986.
Bean wrote a book titled “Going the Other Way” and was often a keynote speaker at events. He publicly came out as gay in 1999, the second former …