Former major league pitcher Brian Wolfe died Tuesday, Sept. 15, according to a social media post by his wife, Rachell. A Fullerton native, Wolfe stood out early in his high school career with Servite High School in Anaheim. He committed to play at Cal State Fullerton as a junior, but turned pro shortly after he was chosen in the sixth round of the 1999 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins.
Wolfe signed the Twins’ $125,000 bonus offer and was assigned to Florida to play in the Gulf Coast Rookie League, hoping it would put him on a fast track to the big leagues. After six years in the Twins' system, where he topped out at Triple-A, Wolfe was released in May 2005. He finished out the season in the Milwaukee Brewers’ system.
In January 2006, the Brewers traded Wolfe to the Toronto Blue Jays for Corey Koskie. A late bloomer at 26, Wolfe gave up no runs in his first spring training with Toronto, then posted a 0.84 ERA in 14 relief appearances with Triple-A Syracuse. He made his debut in May 2007 and made a career-high 38 appearances that season out of Toronto's bullpen, posting a 2.98 ERA.
More news: Former Rangers, Mariners, Twins First Baseman Dies Wolfe made 72 appearances over his three major-league seasons in Toronto (2007-09), going 5-5 with a 3.81 ERA. He became a free agent after the 2009 season and headed to Japan. After signing with the Nippon Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball, the top league in Japan, Wolfe became a star.
He started 77 games for the Fighters from 2010-13 and went 35-29. His final season with the Fighters was Shohei Ohtani’s first. More news: Former Yankees, Red Sox Pitcher Rollie Sheldon Dies Wolfe retired after the 2018 season at age 37.
Pitching for three NPB teams over nine seasons, he went 56-40 with a 3.43 ERA. Former major league outfielder Brandon Barnes paid tribute to Wolfe in a video posted to his Facebook account Wednesday. For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
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