Josh Hancock
A journeyman reliever whose life was tragically cut short just months after helping the St. Louis Cardinals win a World Series.
1978–2007 (age 29)·American baseball player·Birthday: April 11·Generation X
Biography
Josh Hancock's baseball career was a testament to persistence, a winding path through four major league teams before he found a crucial role. The right-handed reliever, born in 1978, debuted with the Boston Red Sox but bounced to Philadelphia and Cincinnati, often struggling to find a permanent spot. His fortunes changed when he joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006. There, he became a reliable workhorse out of the bullpen, appearing in 62 games with a solid 3.45 ERA during the regular season. He pitched in the postseason, contributing to the Cardinals' unlikely run to a World Series championship that fall. The following April, just as a new season was beginning, Hancock was killed in a car accident in St. Louis at age 29, casting a shadow over the sport and cutting short a career that had finally found its footing.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Josh was born in 1978, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Josh Was Born
The biggest hits of 1978
#1 Movie
Grease
Best Picture
The Deer Hunter
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Josh's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1978Born
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1983Started school
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1991Became a teenager
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Could drive
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
1996Could vote
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Turned 21
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2007Died at 29
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
Key Achievements
- Earned a World Series ring as a member of the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals.
- Pitched in 3 games during the 2006 National League Championship Series.
- Appeared in 62 games for the Cardinals in 2006, posting a 3.45 ERA.
- Recorded his first major league save with the Cincinnati Reds in 2005.
Did You Know?
His father, Dean Hancock, was a longtime college baseball coach at Southeast Missouri State.
He was driving a rented Ford Explorer at the time of his fatal accident.
The Cardinals honored him by hanging his jersey in the bullpen for the remainder of the 2007 season.
He played college baseball at Auburn University before transferring to Triton College.
“I just wanted to be a reliable arm out of the bullpen, whatever the team needed.”
