December 27, 2020

By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

Derek Aucoin, just like Gary Carter in 2012, has lost his brave battle with brain cancer.

The Expos pitcher from 1996 died in suburban Montreal on Dec. 26 at the age of 50, way too soon.

"Quebec's big and beautiful baseball family mourns the departure of our great Derek,'' tweeted Marc Griffin, a former teammate of Aucoin's. "You were the perfect teammate and a great ambassador.''

The 6-foot-8 Aucoin was signed as an amateur free agent by the Expos in 1989 and worked his way through the organization's minor-league system with stops in such venues as Jamestown, N.Y., Sumter, S.C., Rockford, Ill., West Palm Beach, Fla., Harrisburg, Pa. and Ottawa before being called up from the Ottawa Lynx triple-A club in May 1996.

The Lachine, Quebec native made his major league debut on May 21, 1996 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. He entered the game in relief of starter Jeff Fassero in the sixth inning and gave up one run in 2/3 of an inning, taking the loss. Although he didn't know it, his last game in the majors was four days later.

"He certainly had the stuff to pitch in the big leagues, if only he would have believed in himself,'' Griffin said in a Twitter exchange with this reporter upon learning of his friend's death. "He was the same age as me. He was a wonderful teammate as we were both on the 1993 West Palm Beach Expos.

"I didn't hit a ton of home runs in my career but I remember hitting one in Port Charlotte as I was in a slump. I saw him run from the bullpen faster than I was, as I was rounding the bases -- so that he would be the first to greet me at home plate. He was the type of guy who would help others before helping himself. Great heart. Great loss.''

After his stint in the Expos' chain, Aucoin signed with the Mets organization in 1998 and pitched for four minor league teams that season before packing in pro ball. He later ran baseball camps in Canada and the U.S. In recent years, he had been a television and radio broadcaster in the Montreal area.

His death prompted an outpouring of grief and condolences on social media.

"He was a gentleman and a great ambassador for baseball and the Expos in Quebec,'' Robert Rousseau wrote on Facebook.

"Derek once said that being the winning pitcher in the deciding game of the Ottawa Lynx 1995 Governors Cup Triple-A championship was his all-time personal baseball highlight,'' Jeff Darwin posted on Facebook. Darwin's father Howard operated the Lynx for a number of years.

In 2019, Aucoin was diagnosed with glioblastoma for which there is basically no known cure. He had kept up a public battle, showing determination and grit in the face of adversity.

"There are very few words to express the deep pain and sorrow that lives in us as our handsome Derek left us peacefully surrounded by love,'' his family said in a statement. "For 18 months, he has been resiliently fighting a hard fight against glioblastoma. Despite this merciless cancer, he lived in the gratitude of the present moment as only he could.''

It's been a tough year for the Expos family. Six other former Expos have died: Bob Sebra, Hal Dues, Johnny Paredes, Remy Hermoso, Rich Hacker and Damaso Garcia.

Aucoin leaves behind his wife Isabelle and his son Dawson, who was named after Expos legend Andre Dawson.