Fay Vincent, who steered Major League Baseball through one of its most challenging periods as commissioner, has died at 86. He passed away Sunday from complications related to bladder cancer.
“He remained proud of our National Pastime throughout his life,” current MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said of Vincent’s legacy.
Vincent’s time as baseball’s boss was short but packed with drama. He took over in September 1989 after the sudden death of his predecessor Bart Giamatti and served until 1992.
His biggest test came just weeks into the job. The massive Loma Prieta earthquake struck during the 1989 World Series between Oakland and San Francisco, forcing Vincent to make tough calls about when it was safe to resume play.
He wasn’t afraid to take on baseball’s biggest names either.
Vincent kept Pete Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball in place when Rose tried to get back in the game. He even banned Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, showing he wouldn’t back down from the sport’s most powerful figures.
Baseball grew under his watch too. Vincent set the wheels in motion to bring new teams to Denver and Miami – the Rockies and Marlins we know today.
One of his most important decisions cleared up decades of confusion about baseball’s home run record. Before Vincent, MLB had awkwardly listed both Babe Ruth’s 60 homers and Roger Maris’s 61 as co-records because they happened in seasons of different lengths. Vincent’s “Committee for Statistical Accuracy” finally made it official – Maris’s 61 was the true record.
He also guided the sport through a messy lockout in 1990, one of several labor challenges during his time as commissioner.
“Mr. Vincent served the game during a time of many challenges,” Manfred said in his statement. “On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Fay’s family and friends.”
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