Brian Matusz, former Orioles and Cubs pitcher, dies at age 37

Former Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs pitcher Brian Matusz has passed away at the age of 37, per MASN's Rich Kubatko tweet on Tuesday night.

Matusz was selected by the Orioles as the fourth overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft out of the University of San Diego. It didn't take long for the lanky pitcher who stood 6-foot-5 to make his way to the majors.

He made his major league debut on August 4, 2009, for the O's against the Detroit Tigers. In five innings of work, he gave up just one earned run on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Interestingly, his first-ever major league strikeout was against the soon-to-be Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera. He finished the year by going 5-2 with a 4.63 ERA.

After a respectable 2010 season wherein he posted a 10-12 record in 32 starts and a 4.30 ERA, Brian Matusz would struggle in the succeeding year. The lefty posted a 1-9 record and a 10.69 ERA that forced the Orioles' management to send him down to Triple-A.

The lanky hurler once again yoyoed between the majors and Triple-A in 2012. However, after establishing himself as a reliable reliever arm, Matusz would be a constant presence in the O's bullpen until 2015.

In 2016, Brian Matusz was traded to the Atlanta Braves for minor league pitchers but would be released even before making an appearance for the squad. He then moved on to the Chicago Cubs in June of the aforementioned year.

On July 31, 2016, the lefty made his sole start with the Cubs. Although he appeared in just three innings after being peppered by the Seattle Mariners and giving up six earned runs, the match will live in infamy as one of the more memorable games during the team's run to the World Series.

For his troubles, the lefty would receive a ring when the Cubs won it all over the Indians in that year's Fall Classic.

In 2019, he made a comeback as a part of the Acereros de Monclova of Mexico's LMB before transferring to the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. After going 2-3 across 46 2/3 innings in the lower leagues, he would call quits on his professional career.

Brian Matusz's career stats

With a career spanning eight seasons, Brian Matusz posted a 4.92 ERA with 462 strikeouts across 528 and 2/3 innings. The lefty finished his career with a 27-41 record and an fWAR of 2.2.

Interestingly, Matusz was a successful cog in limiting one of the greatest sluggers of his generation. In 29 at-bats against Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz, the hurler issued just four base hits, two RBIs, one walk, and no home runs while striking out Ortiz 13 times. This gave the Red Sox legend a .138 average against the lanky pitcher.