MLB

Yankees, Mets scorer Shannon dies in New Jersey house fire

New York baseball suffered a loss yesterday when longtime official scorer and press-box fixture Bill Shannon died at the age of 69, the victim of a New Jersey house fire.

Shannon’s passion for the sport was renowned, and he was popular for his warm personality and unique voice.

“He was a passionate baseball guy. He loved what he was doing,” said Mets VP of media relations Jay Horwitz, who knew Shannon for 30 years. “And I never knew anybody who knew as much about the game as he did.”

Yankees director of media relations Jason Zillo called Shannon “a New York sports legend.”

“Bill was a kind and gentle soul,” Zillo said.

Shannon had been the senior official scorer at Yankees and Mets home games. He began working as an official scorer in 1979 and also wrote for the Associated Press.

Shannon was the only fatality of the three-alarm fire. Neighbors were able to rescue Shannon’s 92-year-old mother, Mildred, through the front door, and she was in fair condition at a nearby hospital.

One neighbor placed a ladder up to the second floor to reach Shannon, but Shannon told the neighbor he was unable to break the window and disappeared into the thick smoke.

With AP