Jose Uribe, the former San Francisco Giants shortstop whose 10-year career paved the way for other Dominican Republic stars in major league baseball, died in a car crash in his homeland. He was 47.
Thousands of mourners filled the streets on Friday of his hometown of Juan Baron to bid farewell to Uribe, who died hours earlier when the sport utility vehicle he was driving crashed on a highway 50km west of Santo Domingo.
Sergeant Major Juan Quezada de los Santos of the National Police said Uribe lost control of his vehicle and flew off the road while driving home along a mountain highway in the nation's south.
PHOTO: AP
The ballplayer was thrown from the vehicle and died of his injuries at the scene, he said. The only passenger, a cousin named Julio Pena, was uninjured.
The first player from Juan Baron to make the major leagues, Uribe was beloved by his hometown, where he owned businesses and unsuccessfully ran for mayor earlier this year.
His 10-year baseball career, which included the Giants' 1989 World Series, paved the way for other locals like Minnesota's Francisco Liriano, St. Louis' Timoniel Perez and the Los Angeles Angels' Vladimir Guerrero.
Uribe's second cousin, shortstop Juan Uribe, plays for the Chicago White Sox.
Guerrero led a procession of more than 3,000 people from the Uribe family home to the town's baseball stadium, where Uribe's casket was displayed ceremonially on the field.
The Angel outfielder blasted music out of a van as the mourners continued on to the green concrete tomb where Uribe was laid to rest alongside relatives.
"The family is in a state of sorrow along with the people of Juan Baron ... this man never left behind his roots," said Alejandro Uribe, a nephew of the former ballplayer.
"I was very saddened to hear the news of Jose's passing this morning," Giants owner Peter Magowan said. "He meant so much to the Giants during his playing days. He was such an important part of the team's success in the late 1980s."
"When you saw Jose on the field, he exuded happiness and pure joy for the game and life. Personally, I was really looking forward to catching up with him this season during the 20th reunion of the 1987 NL West championship team. On behalf of the Giants family, I want to pass along our condolences," he said.
Pablo Peguero, a local baseball scout, also expressed his condolences: "He was a great player for the Giants, a serious man and dedicated to his family," he said.
While playing for the Giants, Uribe would return to his home country frequently and played in the country's winter baseball league. In recent years, he owned a hardware store and a restaurant named "El Shortstop."
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