Former Red Sox pitcher Jim Corsi recently sat down for an interview with WBZ-TV sports director Steve Burton to discuss his cancer diagnosis.
Corsi explained that he has stage 4 liver cancer and colon cancer. According to Burton, who is a friend of Corsi’s, the 10-year MLB veteran and Newton native “has not been given a long time to live.”
“I made a mistake when I was younger,” an emotional Corsi said. The mistake, he explained to Burton, was “not getting a colonoscopy.”
“I should have done it,” Corsi added. “If you’re out there, don’t wait. Don’t be stupid. I was a professional athlete and thought I was invincible, strong. You’re not. Cancer is not prejudiced to anybody.
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“That’s my message: Don’t wait. You don’t want to end up like this. If you get it soon enough, you’ll be all right.”
Asked if he’s afraid of dying, Corsi said he’s “at peace.”
“I know if I die, I’m moving to a better place,” he said. “That’s the No. 1 thing, right? I feel sorry for everybody I’ll leave behind.”
Corsi pitched for five teams, including the Athletics and Red Sox, during his MLB career. He had a 1.88 ERA in 38⅓ innings for the 1989 Athletics, who went on to win the World Series that season. From 1997-99, Corsi pitched 147⅔ innings as a Red Sox reliever, posting a 3.35 ERA.
He also had an impact on his teammates beyond the game. One example is Dennis Eckersley, Corsi’s teammate in Oakland and Boston, who recently reached out.
“You’ve got the most wonderful family in the world,” Eckersley told Corsi in a video call. “You’ve been gifted with that family. We’re all here for you. We love you.”