The coronavirus (COVID-19) took Dolly Whitt, 88, mother of Blue Jays veteran C Ernie Whitt.

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

We phoned Ernie Whitt to ask about the loss of his old double play pairing of shortstop Tony Fernandez and second baseman Damaso Garcia.

The call had much worse news than losing a pair of teammates from 30 years ago. Whitt lost his mother, Dolly, to Coronavirus (COVID-19) April 7.

My mother always said funerals (deaths) came in groups of threes.

The rundown of three ...

Tony Fernandez, 57, played alongside Whitt from 1983-1989. The shortstop died Feb. 16, in hospital in Weston, Fla.

He died after complications from a stroke, pneumonia and an induced coma. In 2017, he had been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease.

“Tony had a special gift,” Whitt said. “He was different the way he would bunt the ball or slap the ball over the third base man’s head. Tony was an ultimate pro, he made all the routine and the exceptional plays too ... where he made that underhand toss which was almost always accurate.”

Whitt called him a tremendous teammate when we spoke on the phone but back at Exhibition Stadium or Dunedin he called Fernandez Mr. Gadget to his face. Fernandez would smile and giggle. Then, he’d go get a teammate to toss him unpopped seeds of popcorn and try to hit them into the fence. The thought process was that is would make the ball appear larger if you could hit something that small.

“Tony was really into weight training, strengthening his wrists and forearms,” Whitt said. “All-round he was a first-class guy who kept to himself.

“He was all class, a family man who respected the game.”

Fernandez had four stints with the Blue Jays and played more games than anyone (1,450). Whitt sits sixth 1,218).

Dolly Whitt, Ernie’s mother, passed away April 7 at Ascension Macomb hospital in Warren Mich.

Whitt described his mother as “being 88 years of age -- a young 88.” Until the final 12 days of her life.

“The sad part -- and I know we were not the only ones -- is that you are not able to see your loved ones (due to the virus),” Whitt said. “When we would speak to her with a nurse holding the phone, they would take her oxygen mask off, so she could answer. Then her levels would go down, so my mother was only able to talk for five or six seconds.”

Doctors and nurses at Ascension Macomb hospital were swamped, which made communication difficult.

“I’m sure when the nurses graduated they thought that they could be putting their lives on the line some day ... but nothing to this extent,” Whitt said. “I can’t thank them enough for way they treated my mother and us. They are special”

Whitt said a male nurse and a female nurse “went over and above,” working 12 hour shifts.

“I thought it was too early for mom to go,” said Whitt. “Mom had her faith and didn’t have to struggle any more. She couldn’t catch her breath.”

Whitt said he was reading up on ventilators and didn’t like what he saw.

Dolly Whitt was a regular at Tiger Stadium when the Blue Jays visited. Pat Borders took over for Whitt as the No. 1 man in 1990. Dolly was at her son’s induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Damaso Garcia, 63, died April 15 in the Dominican Republic.

Garcia played 902 games with the Jays and was a teammate of Whitt’s from 1980-to-1989. It took three men to replace Garcia in 1990: Manuel Lee (112 starts), Nelson Liriano (45) and Luis Sojo (five).

“Damo battled illness a long time,” Whitt recalled. Garcia had a malignant brain tumor removed 29 years ago.

“I was closer to Tony because I’d see him three or four times a year. After Damo’s surgery we never saw him. I’d ask George Bell all the time ‘How is Damo doing?’ And George would answer ‘not good.’

“We tried to set up a trip to Boca Raton to see Garcia numerous times through Alfredo Griffin. He would always say no ‘Garcia was not ready for visitors.’”

Whitt described Garcia, for someone who had never seen him play second: “A solid second baseman. He was probably a better offensively than defensively.”

The catcher said the second baseman could take some clubhouse heat, but also he was “emotional.”

Like May 14, 1986 when the Jays were in Oakland. The score was 3-3 in the seventh with Dave Stieb on the mound. With one out and a Jerry Willard on second, Rick Peters hit a group ball which kicked off Garcia’s glove for an error. Suddenly it was BIM. BOOM. BAM. Jose Canseco homered to deep left, Dave Kingman went deep to left and Mike Davis homered to right.

Manager Jimy Williams told reporters after the 9-4 loss that Stieb lost his concentration due to Garcia’s error. That upset the second baseman. Garcia went into the bathroom. He removed his uniform, sweatshirt, socks and cap. He poured alcohol on the pile and set his uniform on fire.

Williams was upset saying, “You have to respect the uniform.”

On Aug. 5, before a game at Exhibition Stadium against the Kansas City Royals, Cliff Johnson and Garcia argued over time in the batting cage. Since Johnson was on the injured list and Garcia was getting ready to face Scott Bankhead. Judge Wapner, Judge Judy and everyone else would have ruled in Garcia’s favor.

Johnson had called Damo “Mr. Happy” since opening day. Garcia had reason to be unhappy. He had batted lead off in 1985 for the Jays first American League East title under Bobby Cox and Fernandez hit ninth. The team won 99 games.

Cox headed for the Atlanta Braves after the season, so third base coach Jimy Williams took over managing. It was an organizational position that Garcia and Fernandez switch places in the batting order. In 1985, Garcia had a .282 average with 25 doubles, four triples, eight homers, 65 RBIs. He was 28-for-43 stealing bases and had a .670 OPS. He walked 15 times and struck out 51 times.

Fernandez, meanwhile batted .289 with 31 doubles, 10 triples, two homers and 51 RBIs. He had a .730 OPS while going 13-for-19 on the bases. He walked 43 times and whiffed 41.

So, Garcia came in grumpy and Johnson kept up with the “Mr. Happy” nickname. Garcia called Johnson “Mule Face.” Finally, there was one Mule Face too many and Johnson stepped out of the cage. But he wasn’t going to discuss hitting tactics. He was ready to fight.

Coach John Sullivan and Williams pulled Johnson away, while Fernandez dragged Garcia behind the cage.

In a 59-day span Whitt lost his former double play combination in Fernandez and Garcia.

But worst of all he lost his mom and couldn’t be there to hold her hand.

Elliott: Virus takes Ernie Whitt's mother, R. I. P. Garcia, Fernandez