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Former Ray Killed By Lightning

Associated Press File Photo

According to The Associated Press, Gonzalez died Sunday after being struck by lightning while on a beach in his home country of Venezuela.

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By MARC LANCASTER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 27, 2008

Updated:

ST. PETERSBURG - Those who played with Geremi Gonzalez during his two seasons pitching for Tampa Bay remembered him fondly Monday, a day after he was killed by a lightning strike at age 33.

"When he was here, he was a great teammate," said Rocco Baldelli, a teammate of Gonzalez on the 2003 and 2004 Rays. "I'm sure most guys remember him for keeping everyone loose - he had a great personality in the clubhouse."

Carl Crawford's recollections of Gonzalez ran along similar lines: "He was always real excited. It seemed like he was loving life."

According to The Associated Press, Gonzalez died Sunday after being struck by lightning while on a beach in his home country of Venezuela.

The right-hander made his big-league debut at age 22 with the Cubs in 1997 and pitched in Chicago again the following season but didn't resurface in the majors again until the Rays called him up in 2003. He went 6-11 but posted a 3.91 ERA in 25 starts that season. Gonzalez struggled in 2004 (0-5, 6.97 ERA) before moving on to pitch for the Red Sox, Mets and Brewers.

Another member of the Rays' 2003 rotation, Joe Kennedy, died last November at age 28.

"It's unbelievable," Baldelli said. "These are young guys. Stuff like that shouldn't be happening to these guys."

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