R.I.P.: Chris Duncan, Former MLB Player, WXOS Sports Host

Chris Duncan

St. Louis radio broadcaster, Chris Duncan died  Friday in Tucson, Ariz., after years of battling brain cancer.

He was 38, according to thesalemnewsonline.com.

The son of former Cardinals pitching Dave Duncan, Chris reached MLB in 2005 and became a force in 2006, just as an injury-riddled Cardinals team started to flag. Duncan’s 22 home runs in his rookie season, 19 after the All-Star break, and his .977 OPS in that season’s second half helped carry an 83-win team that limped into the playoffs before finding its stride and winning the organization’s 10th World Series title. Duncan would play three more seasons with the Cardinals before being traded to Boston in 2009.

“We wouldn’t be here without him,” manager Tony La Russa said at the time.

Duncan was first diagnosed in 2012 with glioblastoma, the same sinister brain cancer his mother Jeanine had, and after surgery Chris was able to make significant progress and return to work as a co-host for WXOS 101.1 FM.   In March 2018 he acknowledged, on air, that the tumor had come back.

He had been hosting shows, prepping opinions, and keeping the tumor’s return quiet for several months. Duncan took a leave of absence and, in January, made his departure from the radio station permanent so that he could “focus on health.”

“The Cardinals are deeply saddened by the passing of Chris Duncan and extend our heartfelt sympathy to his wife, Amy, the entire Duncan family, and his many friends,” Cardinals Chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement from the team. “Chris was an integral part of our 2006 championship team and a great teammate and friend to many in the organization.”