Former Mets Pitcher, Minor-League Coach Frank Viola To Undergo Heart Surgery
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — The New York Mets say former pitcher Frank Viola will undergo heart surgery next week in New York.
The 53-year-old Viola retired as a player following the 1996 season. He was hired by the Mets in January as pitching coach of Triple-A Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League.
New York said Tuesday that during a spring training exam "Mets physicians discovered a heart condition that needed to be corrected as soon as possible."
Tom Signore will reportedly replace Viola as pitching coach for the time being.
Viola was the 1988 AL Cy Young Award winner. He went 176-150 with a 3.73 ERA in 15 major league seasons with Minnesota (1982-89), the Mets (1989-91), Boston (1992-94), Cincinnati (1995) and Toronto (1996).
His daughter Brittany was a diver on the U.S. team at the 2012 Olympics.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
