David Cone Age, Wiki, Family, Education, Career, Net Worth

David Cone is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and a well-known baseball broadcaster. He is best known for pitching a perfect game with the New York Yankees in 1999.

Cone was born on January 2, 1963 (63 years old) in Kansas City, Missouri. Over a 17-year playing career, he won the 1994 American League Cy Young Award and lifted five World Series titles.

After retiring, he moved into the broadcast booth and became a lead color commentator for the Yankees on the YES Network. He also spent four seasons as an analyst on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.

Quick Facts of David Cone

Full Name	David Brian Cone
Profession	Former MLB pitcher, baseball broadcaster, and analyst
Age	63 years old
Date of Birth	January 2, 1963
Nationality	American
Zodiac/Sun Sign	Capricorn
Birthplace	Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Current Address	Greenwich, Connecticut, United States
Gender	Male

David Cone Early Life and Education

David Brian Cone was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He grew up as a fan of the hometown Royals and admired the team’s ace, Dennis Leonard.

Sports were a big part of his childhood, and he was known for his competitive drive from a young age.

Education

Cone attended Rockhurst High School, a Jesuit school in Kansas City. He played quarterback on the football team and point guard on the basketball team.

Because the school did not have a baseball team, he played summer baseball in the Ban Johnson League. He later enrolled at the University of Missouri before turning professional.

School	Rockhurst High School, Kansas City
Alma Mater	University of Missouri
Highest Qualification	Yet to be updated

David Cone Personal Life

David Cone has been married once and later shared a long relationship with a well-known TV personality. He is a father of two sons.

David Cone’s personal life centers on his first marriage to interior designer Lynn DiGioia and a long-term partnership with reality TV personality Taja Abitbol. He is a father of two sons.

First Marriage: Lynn DiGioia

David met Lynn DiGioia, an interior designer, on a beach in Puerto Rico in 1986. They dated on and off for eight years through the rise of his high-profile baseball career before marrying on November 12, 1994.

Together they built a home in Greenwich, Connecticut, and welcomed a son, Brian, in March 2006. Lynn largely stayed out of the media spotlight despite the demanding travel and public pressures of Major League Baseball.

After 17 years of marriage, David and Lynn divorced in 2011.

Long-Term Partner: Taja Abitbol

Shortly after his divorce, David began a relationship with Taja Abitbol, an entrepreneur, restaurateur, and actress. The couple welcomed a son, Sammy.

While the pair have referred to themselves as “longtime engaged” and as domestic partners who wear rings, they never officially married.

A Complicated Gray Area

Their relationship entered a public gray area around 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic and its travel constraints. Taja relocated to Florida with their son to run her wellness businesses and later starred in the Netflix reality series Members Only: Palm Beach.

David remained primarily in New York for his broadcasting work. Though they have described their status as complicated and have lived separately, David has often stepped in to publicly support and defend her in the media.

Children

David Cone has two sons, Brian and Sammy Cone.

• Brian Cone: Born on March 23, 2006, Brian is David’s eldest son from his marriage to his ex-wife, interior designer Lynn DiGioia.
• Sammy Cone: Born on December 15, 2011, Sammy is David’s younger son with his long-time partner, Taja Abitbol. Sammy recently celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in December 2024.

Parents

Edwin Mack Cone and Joan Curran Cone are the parents of former MLB pitcher and current sports commentator David Cone.

They raised David alongside his three older siblings in a working-class neighborhood in Northeast Kansas City, Missouri.

Father

His Father Edwin (Ed) Cone (1934–2022), worked a demanding blue-collar job as a mechanic in a steel plant and later at a meat-packing factory. He was also an avid baseball lover who served as David’s first and most influential pitching coach.

Ed built a makeshift Wiffle ball field in the family’s backyard complete with floodlights for night games and famously taught David the “drop-and-drive” pitching style that propelled him to a Cy Young Award and a historic perfect game. Ed passed away in February 2022.

Mother

His mother, Joan Cone (1936–2016), worked as a secretary and a travel agent. She was known for fiercely supporting her children’s athletic endeavors and was proud of her Irish-American heritage.

David has often shared fond memories of her, including her steadfast superstitious belief that good fortune in baseball was always “due”. Joan passed away in 2016.

Siblings

Cone has three siblings, one sister and two brothers:

• Crystal Cone: As the oldest sister, Crystal is the firstborn of the four siblings.
• Christopher Cone: Chris is David’s older brother. He grew up deeply immersed in the local youth sports scene alongside his brothers, playing baseball under the guidance of their father, Ed Cone.
• Daniel “Danny” Cone: David’s older brother Danny is central to a defining family story that David credits with shaping his fierce, competitive mentality on the mound. When David was 63 years old, Danny got into a physical confrontation on their front porch with a larger neighbor. David noted that this incident taught him a lifelong lesson: never be bullied by anybody and always stand up for your family.

Relationship Status	In a long-term relationship
Wife/Partner	Ex-wife: Lynn DiGioia Partner: Taja Abitbol
Children	Sons: Brian Cone and Sammy Cone
Parents	Father: Edwin Cone Mother: Joan Cone
Siblings	Sister: Crystal Cone Brothers: Christopher & Daniel “Danny” Cone

David Cone Career

David Cone built one of the most respected pitching careers of his era, then became one of the most trusted voices in baseball broadcasting.

1981 to 1986: Draft and early years with the Royals

The Kansas City Royals drafted Cone in the third round of the 1981 MLB draft. He worked his way through the minor leagues and made his big-league debut on June 8, 1986.

His first appearance came in relief of reigning Cy Young winner Bret Saberhagen. He pitched out of the bullpen before earning a wider role.

1987 to 1992: Rise to stardom with the New York Mets

Before the 1987 season, the Royals traded Cone to the New York Mets. He soon became a front-line starter.

In 1988, he posted a 20-win, 3-loss record and earned his first All-Star selection. He served as a co-ace alongside Dwight Gooden and led the National League in strikeouts in 1990 and 1991.

On October 6, 1991, Cone struck out 19 Philadelphia Phillies batters in a single game, one of the highest totals ever recorded.

1992: First World Series title with the Toronto Blue Jays

In August 1992, the Mets traded Cone to the Toronto Blue Jays in a deal that sent Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson to New York.

Cone helped the Blue Jays win the 1992 World Series against the Atlanta Braves. It was his first championship ring.

1993 to 1994: Return to Kansas City and the Cy Young Award

Cone returned to his hometown Royals as a free agent in 1993. In the strike-shortened 1994 season, he went 16 wins and 5 losses with a 2.94 ERA.

That performance earned him the 1994 American League Cy Young Award. He was also a players’ association representative during the labor dispute of that year.

1995 to 2000: Yankees glory and the perfect game

In July 1995, the Blue Jays traded Cone to the New York Yankees, where he became the staff ace. He won World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

On July 18, 1999, on Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium, Cone pitched a perfect game against the Montreal Expos. It was the 16th perfect game in baseball history.

He also recorded a 20-win season in 1998, setting a record for the longest gap between 20-win seasons. During these years, he pitched alongside teammates such as Mariano Rivera, Paul O’Neill, and Andy Pettitte.

2001 to 2003: Red Sox, Mets, and retirement

In 2001, Cone pitched for the rival Boston Red Sox and posted a solid 9-win, 7-loss season. He sat out 2002.

He attempted a comeback with the Mets in 2003 but retired that May because of a chronic hip problem. He finished with a career record of 194 wins and 126 losses, a 3.46 ERA, and 2,668 strikeouts.

2002 to present: Broadcasting career

Cone joined the YES Network as a color commentator during its first season in 2002. He returned to the booth full-time in 2011 and became the Yankees’ lead analyst.

He now calls games alongside play-by-play voice Michael Kay and fellow analyst Paul O’Neill on YES, and he also works Yankees broadcasts on Amazon Prime. He co-hosts the podcast Toeing the Slab with Justin Shackil for Jomboy Media.

2022 to 2025: ESPN Sunday Night Baseball

Cone joined ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball team in 2022. He worked alongside Karl Ravech, Eduardo Pérez, and Buster Olney.

In January 2026, ESPN did not renew his contract after the network moved its Sunday night rights to NBC. Cone continues to call Yankees games for YES and Amazon Prime.

David Cone Awards and Achievements

David Cone earned some of the biggest honors in the sport across both the American and National Leagues.

Key Wins

• Won the 1994 American League Cy Young Award.
• Five-time World Series champion in 1992, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.
• Pitched the 16th perfect game in MLB history on July 18, 1999.
• Five-time All-Star in 1988, 1992, 1994, 1997, and 1999.
• Led the major leagues in strikeouts three seasons in a row from 1990 to 1992.
• MLB wins leader in 1998.

Key Honors

• National League Pitcher of the Month in May 1988.
• American League Pitcher of the Month in May 1994 and July 1998.

David Cone Controversy

Here is the Controversy section with each item explained in more detail. Bullet points and source links are kept, and the style rules are followed.

Controversy

David Cone faced several off-the-field controversies during his playing career, most of them concentrated in his early years with the New York Mets.

• 1988 playoff column dispute: During the 1988 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cone agreed to write a daily guest column for the New York Daily News. After the Mets won Game 1 by a score of 3 to 2, the column carried sharp remarks about the opposing pitchers. In it, Cone suggested that Dodgers starter Orel Hershiser had been lucky for eight innings and compared closer Jay Howell to a high school pitcher because of his reliance on curveballs. The comments quickly became locker room motivation for Los Angeles. The Dodgers responded by scoring five runs in two innings against Cone in Game 2 to even the series. The Mets soon pressured him to stop writing the column, and the team eventually lost the series in seven games.
• 1992 bullpen lawsuit: In 1992, three women filed a lawsuit against Cone. They initially claimed that he had threatened their lives at the ballpark. Cone said he had only cursed at them for harassing the wife of his teammate Sid Fernandez and denied making any threats. The women later amended their suit, alleging that he had lured them into the bullpen area at Shea Stadium in 1989 and behaved indecently in front of them. Two of the women’s claims were unsuccessful in court. The third was settled out of court, and all of the sexual accusations were ultimately dismissed.

David Cone Net Worth

The estimated net worth of David Cone is around $30 million.

Net Worth (Approx.)

$30 million

David Cone Height, Weight and Physical Stats

Below are the physical stats of David Cone:

Height	In centimeters: 185 cm In meters: 1.85 m In feet and inches: 6 feet 1 inch
Weight	In kg: 81 kg In lbs: 180 lbs
Hair Color	Salt & Pepper
Eye Color	Blue

David Cone Instagram, X

Instagram	@coney3636
X	@dcone36

Interesting Facts About David Cone

• His nickname during his playing days was Coney.
• He threw with his right hand but batted from the left side.
• David co-wrote the memoir Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher with journalist Jack Curry, and it reached The New York Times Best Seller list in 2019.

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