Baseball lifer, legend Don Zimmer dies 'peacefully' at age 83
Don Zimmer, a senior advisor to the Tampa Bay Rays who spent more than six decades in Major League Baseball, died Wednesday night at the age of 83, less than two months after undergoing heart surgery, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
Don Zimmer, #Rays senior advisor and baseball legend, has died at age 83, son Tom has told the @TB_Times
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) June 5, 2014
Zimmer, whose professional baseball career began in 1949, debuted as an infielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954, and spent parts of 12 seasons in the majors before embarking on an illustrious coaching career.
The Ohio native held numerous coaching positions with a host of major-league clubs before accepting a managerial position with the San Diego Padres in 1972. Zimmer would spent 13 seasons as a manager, compiling a 885-858 record across stints with the Padres, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, and Chicago Cubs, earning the National League Manager of the Year award in 1989.
Zimmer subsequently served as Joe Torre's bench coach during the New York Yankees' dynasty of the late-1990s before joining the Tampa Bay Rays organization in 2004.
Don Zimmer had been hospitalized since April 16 heart surgery. "He went peacefully,'' son Tom told the @TB_Times
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) June 5, 2014