Cause of Death of Brian Wolfe: Former Blue Jays pitcher dead at 45

Brian Wolfe , the former Milwaukee Brewers , Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher has died at 45, it was announced on Tuesday, September 17 by the ex- MLB player’s wife.

The former pitcher had spent three seasons in the majors before continuing his career overseas and Wolfe went on to enjoy a successful career in Japan, as his career overlapped with Shohei Ohtani .

A native of Fullerton, California, Wolfe attended Servite High School in Anaheim before the Twins selected him in the sixth round of the 1999 MLB Draft . He signed for a $125,000 bonus and began his professional career in Florida.

Wolfe spent six years in Minnesota 's minor league system, reaching Triple-A before his release in May 2005. He later joined the Brewers organization, setting up a trade that would eventually bring him to Toronto .

Milwaukee sent Wolfe to the Blue Jays in January 2006 in exchange for Corey Koskie . The right-hander worked his way through Toronto 's minor league system before making his major league debut in May 2007.

Wolfe quickly established himself as a dependable option out of the bullpen. He recorded a 2.98 ERA across a career-high 38 appearances during his first major league season, earning a place in the relief corps.

Across three seasons with the Blue Jays , Wolfe made 72 appearances and finished with a 5-5 record and a 3.81 ERA. He became a free agent after the 2009 season, bringing his major league chapter to an end.

Rather than stepping away from professional baseball, Wolfe moved to Japan and signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball , where he started 77 games for the Fighters between 2010 and 2013, compiling a 35-29 record.

He continued pitching in Japan for several more seasons, representing three NPB teams over nine years. Wolfe finished his overseas career with a 56-40 record and a 3.43 ERA before retiring after the 2018 season at 37.

Brian Wolfe Cause of Death: How did former MLB player die?

Wolfe 's death was also confirmed by former MLB outfielder Brandon Barnes. Wolfe 's wife Rachell , described his final days as an extremely difficult period.

Rachell shared the news of her husband's passing in a Facebook post on Tuesday, explaining that he had endured a difficult battle before his death. Her message conveyed the family's grief.

“I’m sorry to write this but after a really really difficult and torturous battle Brian Wolfe passed away early this morning,” Rachell wrote on Facebook.

Her statement confirmed that Wolfe had died earlier that morning, but it did not identify the illness or condition involved.

No additional details about the nature of his battle prior to his death were provided in the announcement.