David West

David Lee West (September 1, 1964 – May 14, 2022) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, and Boston Red Sox from 1988 to 1998. He also played one season in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in 1997.

Early life West was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on September 1, 1964. He attended Craigmont High School in his hometown, where he pitched for the school's baseball team. After his graduation in 1983, the New York Mets selected him in the fourth round of the 1983 MLB draft. and was regarded as the Mets' premier pitching prospect. He made his MLB debut for the franchise on September 24, 1988, at the age of 24, After posting a 7.40 earned run average (ERA) in 21 games pitched (7 starts) midway through his 1989 rookie season, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins with Rick Aguilera, Tim Drummond, and Kevin Tapani for Frank Viola on July 31 that year. In the 1991 American League Championship Series, he appeared in two games against the Toronto Blue Jays, pitching innings while allowing just one hit and no runs and being the winning pitcher in Game 5.

During the 1992 season, West was limited to 9 games (3 starts) and had a 1–3 record with a 6.99 ERA in innings pitched. He was traded at the end of the year to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Mike Hartley. recording a career-best 2.92 ERA that year and finishing second in the National League (NL) in games pitched (76). The 76 games he pitched in set a Phillies record for a lefty. He went on to pitch three games in the 1993 World Series, which the Phillies lost to the Toronto Blue Jays. In the 1994 season, West finished fourth in the NL in walks (61) and wild pitches (9), and seventh in losses (10). He was 57, and suffered from brain cancer prior to his death. He was the sixth former Phillies player to die of brain cancer since 2003, after Ken Brett, Tug McGraw, Johnny Oates, John Vukovich, and Darren Daulton. A moment of silence was put in place during the game between the Phillies and the Padres on May 17, 2022.