Corey Phelan, a left-handed pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league organization, died of cancer, the team announced Thursday. He was 20.
Phelan joined the Phillies out of Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York, as an undrafted free agent in 2020, according to Baseball-Reference.com. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in April 2022, ESPN reported.
He gave up one run in 9.2 innings of relief with the Phillies’ rookie-level team in the Florida Complex League, WNBC-TV reported.
We are saddened by the passing of Corey Phelan, a prospect in the Phillies organization.
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) October 14, 2022
Our thoughts are with Corey's family, friends and teammates. pic.twitter.com/cBuuTdpucM
“The Phillies family is extremely saddened by the tragic passing of Corey Phelan,” Phillies director of player development Preston Mattingly said in a statement. “Corey’s positive presence and selflessness influenced everyone around him. While he was incredibly passionate about the game of baseball, his love for his family and his strong faith superseded everything else. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, as well as his teammates and staff who were by his side, providing emotional support throughout the course of his courageous battle with cancer.”
Phelan spoke with WPVI-TV after he was diagnosed with cancer.
“I was taking a shower and I passed out in the shower. So I called 911 and the ambulance came,” Phelan told the television station. “I got a CT scan of my chest and they told me I had a 9-inch mass in my chest.”
While undergoing treatment at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in May, Phelan visited the Phillies clubhouse at Citi Field when they faced the Mets, WPVI reported.
“That was one of the best nights ever -- getting to be able to talk with the guys in the locker room. (Manager) Joe Girardi took me on the field, everyone (was) supportive and nice,” Phelan said. “The whole Phillies organization has been nothing but amazing to me and my family.”
“He is going through some hard times right now,” Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola said after Phelan’s visit, according to MLB.com. “The hard times that we go through in baseball doesn’t compare to what he is going through. The positivity that he showed -- his faith and belief that God has it under control. Obviously, it shows what kind of person that he is, what kind of man he is. The guys in the clubhouse saw that.”
On Friday, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said he was saddened by the news.
“He was always so positive even with everything he was going through,” Realmuto told MLB.com. “He just brought light to our clubhouse. We got to pray with him a few times, and his faith was pretty inspiring for a lot of us. He definitely touched a lot of hearts in that clubhouse. And we’re going to miss him dearly.”
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