Mike Darr
| Mike Darr | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Outfielder | |||
|
Born: March 21, 1976 Corona, California | |||
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Died: February 15, 2002 (aged 25) Peoria, Arizona | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| May 23, 1999, for the San Diego Padres | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 7, 2001, for the San Diego Padres | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .273 | ||
| Home runs | 5 | ||
| RBIs | 67 | ||
| Teams | |||
| |||
Michael Curtis Darr (March 21, 1976 – February 15, 2002) was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the San Diego Padres (1999–2001). He was killed in a car accident before the 2002 season.
Biography
Darr grew up in Corona, California, the son of Mike Darr Sr., who pitched in one game for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977. Growing up, the younger Darr was good friends with Darrin Chiaverini, a future National Football League player and coach, and with Duane Johnson, a former minor league baseball player and the son of UCLA football coach Don Johnson. In high school, Darr began to struggle with substance abuse and he went to live with the Johnson family. Don Johnson took Darr to counseling and helped him to stop using drugs. Darr graduated from Corona High School in 1995.[1]
In 2001, Darr appeared in 105 games for the San Diego Padres, compiling a .277 batting average with 2 home runs, 34 runs batted in, and 6 stolen bases.
On February 15, 2002, Darr was involved in a single-car accident in Peoria, Arizona, during spring training. Darr's blood alcohol level was over the legal limit; Darr and Duane Johnson, who were not wearing safety belts, were killed. Minor league pitcher Ben Howard, who had his safety belt on, survived with only minor injuries.[2] Howard would go on to debut with the Padres two months later, and pitch at the major league level for three seasons.
Darr was buried at the Riverside, California, Crestlawn Memorial Park.
Nearly the entire Padres organization was among the more than 1,500 in attendance at Darr's funeral. Darr left behind a wife, Natalie, also a graduate of Corona Senior High School and two sons. The Padres wore a black circle patch with Darr's uniform number 26 on the right-sleeve of their uniform during the 2002 season.
See also
- List of baseball players who died during their careers
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
References
- ↑ Henson, Steve (25 September 2002). "Friends to the end". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
- ↑ Fernes, Rob. Padres' Darr dies in car accident. Los Angeles Times (February 16, 2002). Retrieved September 6, 2014.
- Baseball-Reference.com
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Frank Russo (March 6, 2002). "Mike Darr". Baseball player. Find a Grave. Retrieved July 1, 2011.