Former Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher Brian Wolfe Dies at 45
- Former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Brian Wolfe died at the age of 45 on Tuesday, Sept.
- Wolfe was born in Fullerton, California, and attended Servite High School in Anaheim.
- In Japan, Wolfe played nine seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball league with the Nippon Ham Fighters, SoftBank Hawks, and Seibu Lions, retiring after the 2018 season.
Former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Brian Wolfe died at the age of 45 on Tuesday, Sept. 15, after what his wife described as a difficult battle, according to reports from the New York Post. Wolfe pitched three seasons in Major League Baseball before embarking on a nine-year career overseas in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league.
A Career Spanning Major League Baseball and Japan
Wolfe was born in Fullerton, California, and attended Servite High School in Anaheim. The Minnesota Twins selected him in the sixth round of the 1999 MLB Draft. He spent six seasons pitching in the Twins’ minor league system and reached Triple-A before joining the Milwaukee Brewers’ system for part of the 2005 season. In January 2006, Milwaukee traded Wolfe to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Corey Koskie. After spending the 2006 season in the minors, Wolfe made his major league debut for Toronto in May 2007. During that 2007 season, he made a career-high 38 bullpen appearances, finishing with a 3-1 record and a 2.98 ERA across 45 1/3 innings. Wolfe improved his ERA to 2.45 in 2008, going 0-2 over his appearances. After a difficult 2009 season in Toronto, he became a free agent and moved to Japan, concluding his three-year MLB career with a 5-5 record and a 3.81 ERA across 72 total appearances.
Success Overseas and Tributes
In Japan, Wolfe played nine seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball league with the Nippon Ham Fighters, SoftBank Hawks, and Seibu Lions, retiring after the 2018 season. He finished his overseas career with a 56-40 record, a 3.43 ERA, and 414 strikeouts in 762 2/3 innings.
During his time in Japan, Wolfe helped the SoftBank Hawks win the Japan Series in both 2014 and 2015. He also spent the 2013 season playing alongside a teenage Shohei Ohtani with the Ham Fighters.
Wolfe’s wife, Rachell, announced his death in a Facebook post on Tuesday, stating, I’m sorry to write this, but after a really, really difficult and torturous battle, Brian Wolfe passed away early this morning,
according to the New York Post. No specific cause of death has been confirmed in reports.
Former major league outfielder Brandon Barnes, a native of Orange, California, posted a video to Facebook on Wednesday confirming Wolfe’s death, calling him one of my best friends and a mentor,
according to the New York Post. The Toronto Blue Jays also issued a statement on social media Wednesday evening expressing sadness over the news and offering condolences to his loved ones.
