The father of New York Yankees manger Joe Girardi has died, the team announced Thursday.
Jerry Girardi passed away Saturday at a residential health-care facility in Metamora, Ill. Girardi, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, was 81.
The Yankees will observe a moment of silence in Girardi’s memory before Game 4 of the American League Division Series with Baltimore on Thursday night.
Joe Girardi will continue to manage the team, according to Newsday’s David Lennon, in the series, which the Yankees lead 2-1. Girardi guided the Yankees to a dramatic victory on Wednesday night and was hailed for his decision to use Raul Ibanez as a pinch hitter for Alex Rodriguez.
Ibanez hit a tying homer in the ninth inning and the winning blast in the 12th.
Girardi is the fourth of five children. The elder Girardi, who worked as a construction salesman and a bricklayer, also has six granchildren. His wife, Angels, died in 1984.
A funeral Mass will be held Monday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Peoria, Ill. Burial will be at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Tampico, Ill.