Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brian Matusz is dead. He was 37 years old.
The Orioles, for whom Matusz played from 2009 to 2016, announced his death in a statement on Tuesday, January 7.
“Our hearts are heavy tonight as we mourn the passing of former Oriol Brian Matusz,” the statement began.
“A key member of our club from 2009 to 2016, Brian was beloved throughout Birdland and his passion for baseball and our community was second to none,” the statement continued. “He dedicated his time to connecting with all the fans he could, was a valued teammate and always had a smile on his face.”
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Tim ended his statement by extending his thoughts and prayers to Matusz’s family and friends during “this difficult time.”
According to Roch Kubatko of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), Matusz died Tuesday morning. The cause of death has not been released.
The left-handed pitcher was first drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the fourth round of the 2005 MLB draft, but chose to play baseball at the University of San Diego, where he played for three years, according to MLB.
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Brian Matusz during the game on May 17, 2016.
Maddie Meyer/Getty
He finished his collegiate career as a two-time finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, the school’s all-time leader in strikeouts (396) and winning the 2008 West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year.
Matusz was the fourth overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut in August 2009.
Per MLB, he played in 280 regular season games during his career, starting 69. He also played for two Orioles postseason teams (2012 and 2014), making a total of seven postseason appearances. His overall ERA was 4.92.
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Brian Matusz during the game on July 31, 2016.
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He was traded to the Atlanta Braves in May 2016 and released a week later, according to MLB. He then signed with the Cubs, where he started one game.
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Matsuz spent 2017 pitching for the Triple-A Arizona Diamondbacks in Reno, according to MLB. He also started in the Mexican League before finishing his professional baseball career with the Long Island Ducks in 2019.
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