CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The death of former Toronto Blue Jays
first baseman Doug Ault was ruled a suicide, the medical examiner
said Tuesday.
Ault died Dec. 22 at 54 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the
head at his Tarpon Springs home. The team announced his death
Monday.
Tarpon Springs police had suspected Ault's death was a suicide,
Sgt. Jeff Young said. The police declined to elaborate, citing the
pending investigation.
Ault became part of Blue Jays lore when he hit two home runs in
the first game of the expansion team's history. With a snow storm
in Toronto and a cold wind blowing off Lake Ontario, he homered
twice off Ken Brett in the Blue Jays' 9-4 victory over the Chicago
White Sox at Exhibition Stadium on April 7, 1977.
Ault hit only 17 homers during his four years in the majors. His
career average was .236 in 256 games.
He was selected by Toronto in the 1976 expansion draft from the
Texas Rangers and spent three seasons with the Blue Jays before
retiring in 1980. He also worked as a manager in the Jays'
organization, handling teams at Class-A Dunedin, Kingston and St.
Catharines before managing the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs.