A sixth-round pick by the St. Louis in 1988, Cormier broke into the big leagues with the Cardinals three years later. After being traded to Boston , Cormier was shipped to the Montreal Expos in 1996.
Cormier’s best year was 2003 with Philadelphia when he was 8-0 as a reliever with a 1.70 ERA. According to the Phillies, that was the second-lowest among relievers and sixth-lowest by any club reliever in the modern era . During his tenure in Philadelphia, Cormier appeared in 363 games as a reliever. It’s the second-most in club history behind Tug McGraw and fourth-most of any relief pitcher.
“Rheal was one of the most vibrant people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing,” Jim Thome, a former teammate of Cormier’s in Philadelphia and friend, said in a statement. “He loved baseball, but he always put his family first.