Nearly three weeks after Eddie Haas’ passing, the MLB world has once again been struck by tragedy. While many may not have seen Kevin O’Malley in the spotlight, his contributions behind the scenes cannot be overlooked. Following his passing on Tuesday, the baseball community sent its prayers and condolences to his family. Joining in those tributes were the Dodgers.

“The Dodgers send their sincere condolences to the family of Kevin O’Malley, who passed away Tuesday at age 50. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to his wife Allison, his children Grace, Brendan, Brooke, and Margaret, his father Peter, and all of his loved ones,” the Los Angeles Dodgers’ official account wrote on X.

As detailed by elder O’Malley to The Associated Press, Kevin suffered complications of sepsis while in hospice care in Santa Barbara. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition where the body’s response to an infection becomes uncontrolled. It then causes the immune system to damage healthy organs and tissues. If the treatment is not immediate, using intravenous antibiotics and fluids, it can progress to septic shock and result in severe multi-organ failure.

He came into contact with the illness last fall when he was on a business trip in New York. Once his health deteriorated further, he came back to Los Angeles for additional support, but it didn’t work.

Being born to Peter and Annette and raised in Los Angeles, he played baseball at Harvard-Westlake School and the University of Pennsylvania. And his love for the sport made sense, given he was the son of former Los Angeles Dodgers president Peter O’Malley.

“Baseball was important to him,” his father said. “Family came first, but baseball was a close second.”

In fact, for a few years he had owned and operated the minor league baseball circuit in California. He also was the co-founder and owner of Top of the Third Inc., which owned and operated the Stockton Mudville Nine and the Visalia Rawhide. Coming to the major leagues, he had also worked with the Dodgers organization at Great Falls, Montana, and Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida, in the late 1990s.

By 2012, he had established his roots in MLB, and he took on the role of a part-owner of the Padres along with the Seidler and O’Malley families, which they sold in April. Just 2 years before this gig, he founded Carmelina Capital Partners, a growth equity firm where he was managing partner.

Not just this, his connection to baseball goes deeper, as his grandfather, Walter O’Malley, owned the Dodgers from 1944 to 1979. Since his grandfather did quite a great job in expanding MLB to the West Coast, he was also elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as an executive.

That said, the news of O’Malley’s passing has definitely left the MLB world in distress.

MLB world sends its prayers

“My heart goes out to Kevin’s family, wishing you all strength and peace,” wrote one user in response to the Dodgers’ tweet.

Kevin is survived by his wife, Allison, and children Grace, Brendan, Brooke, and Margaret, along with sister Katherine, brother Brian, two nieces, and two nephews. While we are sure that Kevin, as a father, son, husband, and brother, had an immense impact on his family, his influence extended far beyond them.

“I had the pleasure to work with Kevin and Peter Siedler when they bought the Stockton Ports back in 2000. Kevin was an amazing man and a good person, and I am saddened to hear of his passing. His family will be in my thoughts and prayers,” another user wrote.

O’Malley and his cousin Tom Siedler had bought the Stockton Ports of the Class A California League in 1998, and from there began their ambitious planning to succeed. They immediately renamed the team Mudville Nine. This was a historical tribute to the legendary club mentioned in the poem

Casey at the Bat written by Ernest O. Thayer. 

Together, they also rolled out a plan for a 5,000-seat ballpark, which was reimagined after 19-Century Polo Grounds. The upper deck was supposed to have a heavy timber, old-style look. However, the project ran into environmental roadblocks. While the vision that he had in mind never happened, the way he had worked definitely touched the hearts of people.

“Rest in peace, Kevin. Your two decades of behind‑the‑scenes magic will be missed by every fan who never saw you but always felt the impact,” another user wrote.

Over the decades, Kevin had worked across minor league operations, major league operations, and private equity, where he touched the lives of multiple people.

“Condolences to the family,” wrote another user, and echoing the same sentiment, another wrote, “RIP.”

As the baseball world reflects on his contributions, Kevin will be remembered as a valued part of the Padres family and someone whose influence reached well beyond the front office.