Six former Philadelphia Phillies players have died of brain cancer, and a doctor has said a potential link should be investigated.
Former Phillies pitcher David West died of brain cancer this past week at the age of 57, renewing the question of whether the phenomenon of several former players who played for the team at Veterans Stadium dying of brain cancer was coincidental.
West’s death from the disease followed catcher Darren Daulton’s in 2017, infielder John Vukovich’s passing in 2007, catcher Johnny Oates’ 2004 death and those of pitcher Tug McGraw in 2004 and pitcher Ken Brett in 2003.
“It’s a cluster, and it needs to be examined. The amount of incidents of deadly brain cancer are about three out of 100,000. This is three or four times that or more,” Dr. Marc Siegel, a Fox News contributor and Professor of Medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday.
Dr. Siegel advocated for researching whether, given that five out of six of these players were pitchers or catchers, exposure to radar guns at Veterans Stadium might have played a factor. He also cited chemicals in AstroTurf as a potential issue worth exploring.
“I am not saying that’s what it is — in addition to the AstroTurf, which had a lot of chemicals — they’ve got to look more at that radar gun. It’s a possibility,” Siegel said, mentioning the military has done research on frequent exposure to microwaves.
In 2003, when Daulton was diagnosed with brain cancer, Larry Bowa who played, managed or coached the Phillies for 24 years, wondered if there was a link.
“Yeah, it’s very scary,” Bowa said. “I know cancer is a big illness in our society, but to have that many (Phillies) guys get brain cancer …
“I’m not trying to blame anybody. It’s just sort of strange that that can happen to one team playing at the Vet.”
