Cubs-Cards Game CANCELLED tonight

[wsox08]

Cardinals mourn passing of Hancock
Pitcher killed in automobile accident early Sunday morning
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com


ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock, 29, was killed in a car accident early Sunday morning on Interstate 64 in St. Louis.

According to multiple reports, Hancock's vehicle hit a tow truck at approximately 12:30 a.m. CT and the pitcher died at the scene. He had pitched three innings in Saturday afternoon's game against the Cubs.

Sunday night's scheduled Cardinals-Cubs game, scheduled for 7:05 p.m., has been postponed.

Hancock joined the Cardinals in February of 2006. He quickly became a valuable member of the St. Louis bullpen, pitching 77 innings in his first season with the Cardinals. He was well-liked as a fun-loving, easy-going person.

Drafted in 1998 by the Red Sox, Hancock made his way through the Boston system and made his Major League debut as a member of the Red Sox in 2002. He was traded to Philadelphia before the 2003 season, spending '03 and part of '04 with the Phillies. Another trade sent him to Cincinnati, where he pitched through 2005. The Reds let him go early in Spring Training of '06, and the Cardinals quickly snapped him up.

Hancock was born in Cleveland, Miss., and attended high school in Birmingham, Ala., before attending Auburn University.


R.I.P.