Famed left-handed pitcher Doug Creek died Sunday at age 55, just three months after being diagnosed with colon cancer.
Creek played nine seasons in the MLB for the Cardinals, Giants, Cubs, Devil Rays, Mariners, Blue Jays and Tigers. His career lasted ten years, from 1995 to 2005.
The Virginia native was regarded as a child prodigy and was named the nation’s top high school baseball player in 1987, after which he attended Georgia Tech.
His death was confirmed in a heartbreaking Instagram post by his daughter, Aubrie.
“My life changed forever this morning. There won’t be a day that goes by that I don’t miss you. I still can’t believe you’re actually gone. It just doesn’t feel real,” she wrote, adding photos of her and her late father over the years to the post.
“We may have had our fair share of fights and disagreed on everything, but we did agree on one thing: baseball and our love for it. It made me so happy to share a love for something you were so passionate about.”
Doug Creek, 55, is best known for his decade-long career in Major League Baseball
Creek is survived by his wife of 23 years, Allison, pictured here, and their two children
One of Creek’s teammates, Scott Bullett, mentioned in an interview with The news in West Martinsburg, West Virginia.
“He was a good guy. We played against each other in the minors. It’s sad to see a guy like Dougie go so quickly.”
In the majors, Creek is best known for his two stints with the St. Louis Cardinals, who drafted him out of college.
He is known, among other things, for the fact that in 1997, while still playing for the Athletics, he retired legendary slugger Mark McGwire twice.
“He pitched a good game, it wasn’t just one batter. Give the pitcher some credit. He did his job,” McGwire said at the time.
One of his coaches was the legendary manager Lou Piniella.
‘[Piniella’s] “He’s a guy you just want to compete with. He’s not scary or impressive, but you want to go out there and play well for him. I felt the same way about Dusty Baker when I played for him,” Creek said in a Interview from 2002.
His last game was in 2005. During his career, Creek also played a season in Japan, with the Hanshin Tigers.
Creek’s sad death was confirmed by his daughter, Aubrie, in a heartbreaking Instagram post
According to the Journal’s tribute, Creek became an avid boater after his retirement, becoming a charter captain and competitive fisherman.
He married his wife Allison in 2001. She gave birth to their child, son Colton, in July 2002. Colton now works as a prison guard in Maryland.
Their daughter, Aubrie, was born in March 2004, a full 10 weeks premature and weighing just four pounds, forcing Creek to take a break from playing for a while to help his wife, who suffered from hypertension, he said. The Commercial Appeal of Memphis in 2004.