India, Aug. 29 -- Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Larry Christenson has died unexpectedly at the age of 72, the team announced Friday. Christenson, who was part of the Phillies' 1980 World Series championship team, passed away Friday morning while on a fishing trip with family and friends in his home state of Washington.

Hall of Famer and longtime teammate Mike Schmidt paid tribute to Christenson, remembering their five-decade friendship. "It is with great sadness that we just learned of the passing of Larry Christenson who was a friend for 50 years," Schmidt said. "Larry was very special, the guy that kept in touch with all of us, he always had a smile on his face, he never forgot a moment he spent with you. His passing will leave ...