Cardinals reliever Hancock dies in car accident

"Obviously, this is very difficult for all of us, especially those of us who were here five years ago when we lost Darryl Kile," said Jocketty, his eyes red. "There's no way we could have played tonight's game."

La Russa met with players shortly before a news conference Sunday afternoon to provide details of the accident and share memories. Late in the afternoon, two Cardinals jogged together in the outfield in a nearly empty Busch Stadium.

"This has obviously been a very difficult time," St. Louis pitcher Braden Looper said. "Josh was a great teammate and a great friend to everybody, and he was a key part of our success."

News of Hancock's death began to circulate around the majors on Sunday morning. Seattle Mariners pitcher Jeff Weaver, who won the World Series clincher for St. Louis in October, got a call from Cardinals reliever Randy Flores.

"I never really had a phone call like that before. It's kind of mind-boggling. Just a few days ago I had talked to him on the phone, touching base again because we were pretty good friends at the time," Weaver said. "We spent a lot of time together. It was just hard to believe."

Weaver said Hancock called him three or four days ago just to chat, and asked if Weaver had received his World Series ring yet.

"He was quiet, kind of soft-spoken, but definitely a good guy," said Brewers pitcher Jeff Suppan, the NL championship series MVP with St. Louis last year. "It's a sad day. Your feelings go out toward his family and his teammates now. That's tough to get through."

Atlanta Braves ace Tim Hudson played with Hancock at Auburn. They helped lead the school to the 1997 College World Series.

"It feels like being punched in the stomach right now," Hudson said. "Josh was such a good person. I saw him a few times a year going back to Auburn for football games. It's really a shock."

Hancock was remembered at ballparks around the country. The Cleveland Indians observed a moment of silence before their game against the Baltimore Orioles, with Hancock's picture displayed on a giant scoreboard. There also was a moment of silence for Hancock at Yankee Stadium.

"It's terrible, another terrible event," said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, who was the Colorado hitting coach when Kile was a part of the Rockies' staff in 1998 and 1999. "The young man had done so well last fall and had a promising career. It's just terrible."

Hancock, who pitched three innings of relief in Saturday's 8-1 loss to the Cubs, played for four major league clubs. He went 3-3 with a 4.09 ERA in 62 regular-season appearances for the Cardinals last season and pitched in three postseason games. He was 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA in eight games this season.

La Russa said Hancock's final outing was typical of a reliever whose role frequently called for mop-up duty.

"We didn't get embarrassed because of him, and that was said several times," La Russa said.

Three days before Hancock's death, the Cardinals got a scare that some teammates said reminded them of Kile -- Hancock overslept and showed up late for a day game in St. Louis. Hancock told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he thought the starting time was later and didn't get up until the "20th call" from anxious teammates.

"We were all a little nervous," closer Jason Isringhausen said earlier this week. "We don't care if you're late. That happens. We want to know that you're OK."

Hancock made his offseason home in St. Louis. He was the only player to attend the premiere of a DVD documenting the Cardinals' unlikely run to their 10th World Series championship after winning only 83 regular-season games.

Hancock joined the Cardinals in spring training last season after Cincinnati released him for violating a weight clause in his contract. He had been a starter the previous year with the Reds, but missed 133 games because of groin and elbow injuries. He also pitched for Boston and Philadelphia.