Parkinson’s disease couldn’t keep Brian Doyle from Old-Timers’ Day. It couldn’t keep him out of the game, either.
The former Yankees infielder wasn’t in the starting lineup, but he had a hit Sunday afternoon, the feel-good moment of the legends game in The Bronx.
Doyle went to Gene Michael, who managed one of the Old-Timers’ squads, and told the longtime Yankees executive it was important he get an at-bat Sunday. There had been some concern whether Doyle, 61, would be up to it.
Doyle played parts of three seasons with the Yankees as a reserve infielder from 1978-80, never appearing in more than 39 games in a season. He was best remembered for his production in the 1978 World Series, when he filled in for injured starter Willie Randolph and batted .438 in six World Series games with four runs scored and two RBIs, helping the Yankees win their second straight title.
Parkinson’s, a nervous system disorder that affects movement and has no cure, is the second serious medical issue Doyle has faced in his life. Twenty-two years ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia, but beat the disease.