Skip navigation
Site powered by
Latest news:
msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines: Violence widens ahead of Greek austerity vote

Pedro’s little friend from 2004 BoSox dies

2-foot-4 actor De La Rosa was Boston's good-luck charm in playoffs

Image: De La RosaAP file
Nelson De la Rosa, believed to be one of the world’s smallest men, died of unknown causes in a Providence, R.I., hospital early Sunday, said his agent, Andres Duran.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Nelson de la Rosa, a 2-foot-4 actor and ubiquitous good-luck charm for the Boston Red Sox during their 2004 World Series run, has died. He was 38.

De la Rosa, believed to be one of the world’s smallest men, died of unknown causes in a Providence, R.I., hospital early Sunday, said his agent, Andres Duran.

He fell ill shortly after arriving in Miami on Friday from Chile, where the Dominican national had been working in a circus. On Saturday, he traveled to New York, and later to Providence, where two of his brothers live, Duran said.

De la Rosa became internationally known when he appeared alongside actor Marlon Brando in the 1996 film, “The Island of Dr. Moreau.”

Slideshow
Image: Snee, 8, son of New York Giants player Chris Snee and head coach Coughlin's grandson plays in the confetti after the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in the NFL Super Bowl XLVI football game in Indianapolis
  The Week in Sports Pictures
The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more.

more photos

After the baseball fan was introduced to then-Boston ace Pedro Martinez by a mutual friend, the two Dominicans became friends. De la Rosa became a regular presence in the team’s clubhouse in the playoffs of the 2004 season, in which the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years.

De la Rosa’s body will be sent to the Dominican Republic after an autopsy and then could be put on display in a museum, his agent said.

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

advertisement
More news
Milwaukee Brewers v St. Louis Cardinals - Game Four
NBC Sports
Who made the better move?

SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?

Image: Detroit Tigers v Los Angeles Dodgers
Getty Images
DeMarco: Dodgers can become power

DeMarco: Plug in a well-heeled ownership group and negotiate one of those mega-bucks TV deals that are going around, and the Dodgers could become the west coast version of the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox.

Interactive
Rangers Spring Baseball
Maps to spring training sites
Your guide to sites in Arizona, Florida
Slideshow
Houston Astros
  Unbreakable records in baseball
A look at the most unbreakable records in baseball including Nolan Ryan's seven no-hitters.
Slideshow
Image: Albert Pujols
  The top tools of baseball
You hear a lot about the tools of baseball, but who are the best hitters, fielders and pitchers? We break it down.

more photos