Former major league pitcher Brian Wolfe, who spent three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays before building a lengthy career in Japan, has died. He was 45.
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Wolfe died Tuesday, Sept. 15, according to his wife, Rachell, who announced his death on Facebook.
"I'm sorry to write this but after a really really difficult and torturous battle Brian Wolfe passed away early this morning," she wrote.
A specific cause of death has not been publicly announced.
A native of Fullerton, Calif., Wolfe was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round of the 1999 MLB Draft out of Servite High School. He spent several years in the minors before eventually reaching the majors with Toronto in 2007.
Wolfe enjoyed his best MLB season as a rookie, making 38 appearances out of the Blue Jays bullpen and posting a 2.98 ERA.
He ultimately appeared in 72 major league games over three seasons, compiling a 5-5 record and 3.81 ERA.
Wolfe then took his career to Japan, where he pitched for nine seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He spent four years with the Nippon Ham Fighters, including Shohei Ohtani's rookie season in 2013, before later pitching for the SoftBank Hawks and Seibu Lions.
Former MLB outfielder Brandon Barnes also paid tribute to Wolfe on social media Wednesday.
Wolfe retired from professional baseball at age 37.
