New York Yankees legend Alex Rodriguez has sent a heartfelt message of support to former teammate Brett Gardner after the death of his teenage son on vacation in Costa Rica.
Miller Gardner, 14, was discovered not breathing in his room at the luxurious Arenas del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort in Manuel Antonio on Friday morning after he and his family dined the previous evening at a nearby restaurant.
Speaking to People, Rodriguez said: ‘I’ll tell you, from someone who has two daughters, I can’t even begin to comprehend the feelings.
‘My thoughts and prayers go out to him, his wife, Jessica, and obviously his entire family.’
Recalling his playing time with Gardner, where they won the World Series together with the Yankees in 2009, Rodriguez said: ‘Brett was someone who entered our team as a very young player, feisty.
‘He was always like blue collar, great work, fan favorite. He’s just a great, great competitor and a better human being.’
Yankees legend Alex Rodriguez has sent a message of support to ex-teammate Brett Gardner
Miller Gardner (second right) died over the weekend, his parents Brett and Jessica announced
A medical center crash team fought to give 14-year-old Miller ‘advanced life support, full on series of CPR, for 30 minutes but was unsuccessful,’ boss Dr Kevin Gannon told DailyMail.Com earlier this week.
‘He was clinically dead. He had no vital signs, but we had no idea how long he’d been in that state so we got to work because everything was so unclear,’ Gannon said.
‘If he’d been like that for only, say a few minutes, there would have been a chance of saving him.’
On any clues to the cause of death, Dr Gannon said: ‘It’s still a mystery. We as a clinic and as first responders have the same questions as everyone else at the moment. Because everything is so unclear.
‘There are so many questions. It was overwhelming for everyone, all the family members, the hotel… it was very shocking.
‘There are people who are saying he had an allergic reaction to medication that was given to him the previous evening, or medication given by the treating team… everyone’s in the air with that.’
Miller’s parents, Brett and Jessica, confirmed that he had passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Friday March 21.
‘With heavy hearts we are saddened to announce the passing of our youngest son, Miller,’ they said.
Rodriguez and Gardner were teammates when the Yankees won the World Series in 2009
‘He was 14 years old and has left us far too soon after falling ill along with several other family members while on vacation.’
They continued: ‘We have so many questions and so few answers at this point, but we do know that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Friday, March 21st.’
Gardner, 41, played 14 seasons with the Yankees between 2008 and 2021 and was part of their 2009 World Series-winning team.
He was an American League All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove in 2016.
