Infielder Ed Bressoud, one of only two men to play for the New York Giants and Mets — baseball legend Willie Mays was the other — died last week at 91.
Bressoud died from cerebellar ataxia — an inability to coordinate muscle movement due to disease or injury to the cerebellum, according to the Times-Herald Record.
He played with the Giants from 1956 to 1961, starting his career at the Polo Grounds and going West when the team moved to San Francisco following the 1957 season.
“I remember seeing signs from the fans that said ‘Please Don’t Go.’ I never thought we’d move to the West Coast, but we did,” Bressoud told This Great Game. “It was kind of sad.”
Following the 1961 season, he was selected by Houston in the MLB expansion draft but was traded to the Red Sox before even playing for the Colt 45s.
He had his best years in Boston, where spent four seasons.
Bressoud tallied a career-high 20 home runs in 1963 and was selected to the All-Star Game at Shea Stadium in 1964.
“And I didn’t play, which has always irritated me—particularly after seeing that All-Star Game a few seasons ago [2002] when they ran out of players,” he told This Great Game, adding, “I think the manager decided that he was going to stay with his best lineup and try to win that game. And I think that’s fine, even though it was disheartening that I didn’t get a chance to participate.”
In 1964, Bressoud set career-highs in batting average, hits, runs and doubles.
He played with the Mets in 1966, the first former New York Giant to wear the orange and blue.
Bressoud hit 10 home runs in his lone season as a Met — then a team record for a shortstop — which was later tied by Kevin Elster in 1989 and passed by Jose Reyes in 2006.
Bressoud’s career ended with a title, winning the 1967 World Series with the Cardinals and appearing in two games against the Red Sox.
Following his playing days, he coached and scouted in the Angels organization and was a faculty member and coach at De Anza College in California.
“When he walked into a room he was a commanding presence,” his son Steve told the Times-Herald Record. “He always spoke his mind and would strike up a conversation and give encouragement. He joked around with everyone he liked.”