Former Major League Baseball pitcher Brian Matusz has passed away at 37, according to reports.
His cause of death has not been released, Fox News reported.
“A staple in our clubhouse from 2009-2016, Brian was beloved throughout Birdland, and his passion for baseball and our community was unmatched. He dedicated his time to connecting with any fan he could, was a cherished teammate, and always had a smile on his face,” the Orioles said in a post to X on Wednesday.
“Brian’s family and loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.”
Matusz pitched for 279 games for the Orioles and spent most of his seven-year MLB career with Baltimore.
The Orioles selected the Colorado native in the first round, with the fourth overall selection, in the 2008 MLB draft. He then went to single-A ball but very quickly became a starting pitcher for the Double-A Bowie Baysox. The following year, he was promoted to the big leagues and made his debut for the Orioles in August 2009.
The University of San Diego graduate pitched a career-high 32 starts in 2010 and finished fifth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.
However, after missing two months of the 2011 season, he was demoted to the bullpen. By the 2015 season, he had an ERA of 2.94. Early in 2016, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves but then signed with the Chicago Cubs, for which he pitched in only one game.
He tried staying with baseball in 2017 and joined the Triple-A Reno Aces (Diamondbacks). He also played in Mexico for a season before pitching his last pro game in 2019 for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League.
In 2022, Matusz served as a bullpen coach for the New Zealand national team ahead of that year’s World Baseball Classic.
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