Former Toronto Blue Jays Reliever Brian Wolfe Passes Away
In this story:
A former Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher has passed away at the age of 45.
Brian Wolfe spent all of his short MLB career in Toronto, serving as a regular part of the bullpen during the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons. All told, he appeared in 72 career games with the Blue Jays, compiling a 5-5 record with a 3.81 ERA over 82.2 innings of work.
While no details were immediately available regarding Wolfe's cause of death, his wife Rachell made reference to a "torturous battle" in her Facebook post that broke the news of his passing.
"I'm sorry to write this but after a really really difficult and torturous battle Brian Wolfe passed away early this morning," Rachell Wolfe wrote.
Looking Back on Wolfe's Career as a Blue Jay
Wolfe was a sixth round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 1999 amateur draft. He was released by Minnesota and subsequently picked up by the Milwaukee Brewers before being acquired by Toronto in exchange for third baseman Corey Koskie.
Wolfe endured a rocky debut season in the Blue Jays' minor league system in 2006. However, in 2007, a dominant arrival at Triple-A Syracuse (2-0 with a 1.04 ERA in 17 appearances) opened the door for his big league debut that same year.
Upon arriving in the majors, Wolfe earned the trust of then-manager John Gibbons, making 38 appearances for the club while sporting a 3-1 record with a 2.98 ERA, the fourth-lowest mark of any Blue Jays with at least 10 innings pitched that season. Ironically, his first career earned run came against the New York Yankees on an infamous play in which Alex Rodriguez appeared to shout "mine!" on a pop-up while rounding the bases, causing third baseman Howie Clark to drop the ball.
In 2008, Wolfe bounced between Syracuse and Toronto, although he maintained a 2.45 ERA over 20 appearances and 22 innings with the Blue Jays. His 2009 campaign was considerably less successful, struggling out to a 8.22 ERA over 14 games before becoming a free agent at season's end.
After Wolfe's Toronto tenure came to a close, he spent nine seasons playing in Japan from 2010 through 2018. He even won a pair of back-to-back Japan Pacific League titles in 2014 and 2015 as a member of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. He retired from professional baseball in 2018 at the age of 37, with the Blue Jays remaining his only major league team.
Wolfe is the second Toronto reliever to have passed in recent months. Back in July, former closer Duane Ward died of natural causes while in town to celebrate the organization's 1992 and 1993 back-to-back World Series championship teams.
Wolfe leaves behind his wife and three daughters.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.