Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brian Matusz, a first-round draft pick and popular teammate during his eight major league seasons, has died at the age of 37, the club said Tuesday.
The cause of his death was not immediately revealed.
The left-handed pitcher played at the University of San Diego, where he was the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2008, leading to him being the fourth overall pick in that June’s MLB Draft by Baltimore.
He quickly made the big club and began his eight-year MLB career with Baltimore the following spring.
His best season as a starting pitcher came in 2010, winning 10 games in a career-high 32 starts. Matusz found more success later in his career as a relief pitcher, appearing in 186 games out of Baltimore’s bullpen between 2013 and 2015.
The left-hander had an inexplicably dominant career against Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz. In 30 plate appearances against Matusz, “Big Papi” struck out 13 times, had just four hits, one walk and no home runs.
Matusz finished his career by pitching in one game for the 2016 Chicago Cubs, who won the World Series that fall for the first time since 1908.
