TAMPA, Fla. -- Melanie Lidle, the wife of the late Cory Lidle, may throw out a ceremonial first pitch at the Yankees' season opener.
Plans have not yet been finalized, though discussions are ongoing, a Yankees spokesman said.
The club's interest in honoring Lidle at the Yankee Stadium contest was first reported by The Associated Press on Wednesday. The Yankees are scheduled to open their season on April 2 against the Devil Rays.
The Yankees have announced that they will honor Lidle, who was acquired from the Phillies with outfielder Bobby Abreu on July 30, this season by wearing a black armband on the sleeves of their uniforms.
Lidle, who was 34, died Oct. 11 along with a co-pilot, Tyler Stanger, when Lidle's private plane crashed into an Upper East Side apartment building.
Lidle had been planning to fly across the country following the Yankees' elimination from the American League Division Series, and had apparently taken off on a sightseeing excursion of New York from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.
Lidle was 4-3 with a 5.16 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts) for New York following his midseason acquisition. Lidle pitched 277 games in the Major Leagues over nine seasons with seven different clubs, and he had a career record of 82-72.
