Ricky Bottalico reached out to Phillies fans on Sunday night with a message of gratitude after a difficult week for his family following the death of his brother, Jeffrey Bottalico.
Jeffrey Bottalico, known as Jeff to friends and family, died after a brief illness on the morning of September 14. He was born December 22, 1966, in New Britain, CT, and is survived by his wife Jessica, his parents John and Cynthia, his brothers Gary and Ricky, his nieces Olivia and Sophia, and nephews Kal and Logan.
The support for Ricky came quickly after the news broke. The Philadelphia sports community flooded social media with messages for the former Phillies pitcher, and the team’s fans made their feelings clear in a hurry.
On September 15, before the Phillies took on the Washington Nationals, Amy Fadool and Ruben Amaro Jr. offered an emotional tribute to Jeff on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Ricky then stepped away from his roles covering Philadelphia sports at NBC Sports Philadelphia and 97.5 The Fanatic so he could be with his family in Connecticut.
A former Phillies reliever, Bottalico spent seven seasons with the club, appearing in 330 games. He was also the team’s lone representative at the 1996 All-Star Game at Veterans Stadium.
After Jeff’s funeral service in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, Ricky posted publicly for the first time since the loss, thanking everyone who had reached out.
“On behalf of my whole family, I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, all the well wishes and support that I received in the last week is overwhelming, it’s impossible to thank everyone individually but I am so appreciative to all of u! Talk to u tomorrow!”
Jeff’s obituary described the impact he left on those around him, saying, “He will leave behind a huge hole in the hearts of those who knew him best, but we will cherish the amazing memories and the beautiful soul he was.”
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