There are few communities that rally around each other more than baseball. When someone is in dire straits, the industry has a penchant for rallying around them, embracing them and making sure they get what they need. So you can only imagine the outpouring of support in recent days for former Astros first-base coach Rich Dauer.
Dauer, who coached for the Astros for three seasons (2015-17) before retiring following the team’s first World Series championship, suffered a massive stroke six months ago and endured severe brain injuries. He’s currently rehabbing in Jacksonville, Fla., and the bills are piling up. Dauer’s daughter, Kelsey Hoffman, started a GoFundMe page for her dad with the hopes of raising $500,000 to help with medical bills.
“Our dad’s 40-year-plus baseball career is a true testament to his lifelong commitment of hard work and physical health,” Hoffman wrote. “He is an amazing husband to our mom, Chris and a father to us three girls and our families. He always put others first; the true definition of a servant leader.
Word of Dauer’s condition has spread quickly in the baseball community, thanks in part to Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, who tweeted the GoFundMe link earlier this week. According to the family, their projected out-of-pocket monthly expenses between now and Dec. 31 will be $450,000.
“Support our coach Rich Dauer’s Battle!” Bregman tweeted. “Richie is an amazing coach and human being.”
Dauer, 70, is definitely a fighter. He nearly died in the hours following the Astros’ World Series championship parade in 2017, undergoing successful surgery to repair an acute subdural hematoma. When the surgery began, doctors said he had a 3 percent chance of survival.
A few months later he was throwing out the first pitch at Minute Maid Park.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who managed the Astros from 2014-19, commended Bregman for getting the word out about the GoFundMe efforts and is hoping for the best.
“He needs our help,” Hinch said. “With Alex putting it out on social media to try to bring support, it shows relationships matter. It’s devastating to see Richie go through health issues. … He means a lot to a lot of people around the game.”
Dauer played 10 seasons with the Orioles, where he was a steady infielder who helped Baltimore win the World Series in 1983. After his playing career, he spent 19 seasons as a coach, finishing up with the Astros.