Former All-Star catcher John Stearns dies at 71

FILE - Chicago Cubs first baseman Larry Biittner scores behind New York Mets catcher John Stearns during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, on June 26, 1978. . Stearns, a four-time time All-Star catcher with the New York Mets, has died after a long battle with cancer, the Mets announced Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. He was 71. (AP Photo/Larry Stoddard, File)

FILE- New York Mets' catcher John Stearns (12) poses at spring training baseball camp in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 1977. Stearns, a four-time time All-Star catcher with the New York Mets, has died after a long battle with cancer, the Mets announced Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. He was 71. (AP Photo/Harry Harris, File)

Former New York Mets' John Stearns waves during Old-Timers' Day ceremony before a baseball game between the Colorado Rockies and the New York Mets on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, in New York. Stearns, a four-time time All-Star catcher with the New York Mets, has died after a long battle with cancer, the Mets announced Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. He was 71. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Former New York Mets' John Stearns waves during Old-Timers' Day ceremony before a baseball game between the Colorado Rockies and the New York Mets on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, in New York. Stearns, a four-time time All-Star catcher with the New York Mets, has died after a long battle with cancer, the Mets announced Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. He was 71. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)