New York Mets manager, Carlos Mendoza, shared his emotional connection to former Yankee Brett Gardner’s family after Brett and his wife, Jessica, announced the sudden passing of their son, Miller.
“I’d like to start by sending my thoughts and prayers to Jessica and Brett Gardner on the loss of his son,” Mendoza, 45, said during a Sunday, March 23 press conference. “Obviously, I had a really, really good relationship with him. I’m thinking about him and the whole Mets organization are thinking about the Gardner family.”
Mendoza and Brett, 41, played together in the Yankees’ minor league organization from 2006 to 2007 and Mendoza later managed Brett during Mendoza’s time as bench coach for the Yankees. Mendoza was hired as Mets manager in November 2023.
“I got two boys, too, and they were pretty close,” Mendoza added.
Mendoza and his wife, Frances Mendoza, share sons Adrian, 13, and Andres, 11.
In addition to Miller, Brett and Jessica — who got married in 2007 — share an older son, Hunter.
The couple announced Miller’s death in a statement released on Sunday by the Yankees, for whom Brett played all 14 of his MLB seasons before retiring after the 2021 season.
“With heavy hearts we are saddened to announce the passing of our youngest son, Miller,” the statement read. “He was 14 years old and has left us far too soon after falling ill along with several other family members while on vacation. We have so many questions and so few answers at this point, but we do know that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Friday, March 21st.”
The statement continued, “Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile. He loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, his family and his friends. He lived life to the fullest every single day.”
The Yankees organization also released their own statement about Miller’s death.
“Our love for the Gardner family is unconditional and absolute, and we will offer our enduring support while understanding their desire for privacy at this time,” the statement read in part. “May Miller rest in peace.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who managed Brett for four seasons, remembered Miller in his remarks to the media on Sunday.
“We’re heartbroken,” Boone, 52, said. “We talk about being family all the time and, even though Brett’s been gone for a few years, that doesn’t stop.”
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