Damaso Garcia, one of the most notable middle infielders of the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1980’s, passed away at the age of 63 on Wednesday according to Katherine Acquavella of CBS Sports.
Garcia played 11 seasons of Major League Baseball of which seven came with the Blue Jays from 1980 to 1986. He also played one season with Canada’s other Major League Baseball team, the Montreal Expos in 1989. In addition to the Blue Jays and Expos, Garcia spent two seasons with the New York Yankees in 1978 and 1979 and one season with the Atlanta Braves on 1988.
A native of Moca, Dominican Republic, Garcia played primarily second base. He was an all-star with the Blue Jays in 1984 and 1985. In 1982 and 1983, Garcia batted above .300 in back-to-back seasons. He hit a career high .310 in 1982 and then .307 in 1983.
Garcia was part of the Blue Jays team that reached the playoffs for the first time in 1985. In seven games against the Kansas City Royals, he batted .233 with four doubles and one run batted in.
The cause of death is not yet known. However according to The Canadian Press, Garcia did have a malignant brain tumour 19 years ago. It should be noted that the Blue Jays other star infielder at the time, the great shortstop Tony Fernandez died of kidney disease earlier this year at the age of 57.
