Austin, Tx- The baseball community is mourning the loss of a former player and coach.

Today Don Baylor, 68, died of cancer at a hospital in Texas, his family announced.

"Don passed from this earth with the same fierce dignity with which he played the game and lived his life," his wife, Rebecca, said in a statement to ESPN.

Baylor was a member of the Chicago Cubs from 2001-2002. He managed the team before leaving halfway through the 2002 season.

Baylor played for nine different teams during his 19 year playing career. He won the American League MVP award in 1979 while playing for the Angels.

He also reached the World Series in three straight years, and won in with the Minnesota Twins in 1987.