PITTSBURGH — An entire stadium in Pittsburgh and Cardinals fans all over the world took a moment to remember the late Chris Duncan Saturday night.
The former Cardinal died from brain cancer Friday evening. He was 38 years old.
The news came while the Cards were on the road in Pittsburgh.
During Saturday night’s game, the Pirates honored his memory on the field and in the stands. The team handed out Stand Up To Cancer posters for fans in the stands to fill out.
Between innings, several players from both teams came out of the dugout and stood on the baselines holding their own posters with names written in.
Adam Wainwright and David Eckstein—who’s now a special assistant in the Pirates organization—paid tribute to their former teammate by writing Chris Duncan’s name on their cards.
Eckstein closed his eyes and gripped his card, which had Duncan’s name written in a bright red marker.
Wainwright, Eckstein and Duncan all shared the field and became World Series champions together in 2006.
Former Cardinals coach Tony La Russa reminded fans on Twitter that the team wouldn’t have even made it into the playoffs that year if it wasn’t for Duncan’s clutch performance in the final games of that regular season.
‘My favorite [message] to Cardinals fans is every time you celebrate the ’06 WSC, remember we got into playoffs the last game. Without Chris’ clutch production (22 hrs and more), we miss Oct. And so much else that made him special!’ he tweeted.
PNC Park in Pittsburgh also held a moment of silence during the game. Many fans were given bells to ring after the moment to honor the memories of those who lost their battles and to give courage to those who are still fighting.