ST. LOUIS — Former Cardinal Chris Duncan has died from brain cancer at age 38.
Fox Sports Midwest announced Duncan's death during its broadcast on Friday evening.
Duncan, the son of longtime pitching coach Dave Duncan and brother of former major leaguer Shelley Duncan, won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2006.
After retiring in 2009, Duncan became co-host of the midday show ‘The Turn’ on 101 ESPN but had to step away in 2018 while he was being treated for brain cancer.
Duncan was able to return to the job, but announced in January that he was stepping away permanently after his cancer had come back. The type of tumor Duncan had was the same tumor that killed his mother in 2013.
"It’s with an extremely heavy heart that we announce that our former teammate Chris Duncan lost his battle today," 101 ESPN tweeted. "He will always be a part of our family at the station and a big part of our community! RIP Dunc we love you!"
Albert Pujols tweeted his condolences to the family of his former teammate.
The St. Louis Cardinals released the following statement Friday night:
"The St. Louis Cardinals organization was saddened this evening to learn of the passing of former outfielder Chris Duncan from brain cancer. Duncan, the son of former Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan and brother of former major leaguer Shelley Duncan, was 38 years old.
“The Cardinals are deeply saddened by the passing of Chris Duncan and extend our heartfelt sympathy to his wife, Amy, the entire Duncan family, and his many friends,” said Cardinals Chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. “Chris was an integral part of our 2006 championship team and a great teammate and friend to many in the organization.”
Selected 46th overall by the Cardinals in the 1999 First Year Player Draft, Duncan made his MLB debut with the club on September 10, 2005 and hit his first major league home run on October 2, 2005, which proved to be the last regular season homer hit at Busch Stadium II. In 2006, Duncan was named the Cardinals Rookie of the Year by St. Louis media and broadcasters after hitting a career-high 22 home runs while appearing in 90 games. He would later appear in 10 postseason games that year, including three starts against the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.
Duncan became a regular in 2007, appearing in 127 games and finished second on the team in home runs (21) and RBI (70). His last game in the major leagues came with the Cardinals on July 20, 2009.
After his playing career, Duncan became a local radio host on WXOS (ESPN 101) in St. Louis."