Former Padres Pitcher Dies Suddenly at 61

A San Diego Padres hat rests on a glove during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. The Brewers defeated the Padres 4-3 on May 9, 2011. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Mike Campbell's career with the San Diego Padres was brief but surprisingly memorable.

Campbell appeared in only three games for the Padres in 1994, a season that ended in August due to a strike by the MLB Players' Association. He was the losing pitcher in his debut, the winning pitcher in his second game, and allowed six runs in one inning in the third.

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Campbell, who died suddenly on Monday at 61, counted San Diego among many late-career stops for a former top prospect whose promising potential was hampered by injuries.

A right-handed pitcher from Seattle, Campbell was drafted seventh overall by the Mariners out of the University of Hawaii in 1986. Barry Bonds, Major League Baseball's all-time home run leader, was drafted one pick before Campbell. Future Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin was drafted three picks earlier.

Really sad to hear of the sudden passing of former Mariners pitcher Mike Campbell. He was a super awesome guy.

I interviewed Mike for BallNine just 2 years ago & he shared this funny story of inducing a Billy Martin ejection by K’ing Mike Pagliarulo. pic.twitter.com/47J3CFzwHc

— Rocco Constantino (@OfficialMLBRFC) December 19, 2025

Campbell showed early promise with the Mariners, reaching the majors only two years after his final game in college.

In 1988, his most prolific season, Campbell went 6-10 with a 5.89 ERA in 20 starts for Seattle. But that subpar showing led the Mariners to trade Campbell and pitcher Mark Langston to the Montreal Expos in 1989 for a young left-hander named Randy Johnson.

Johnson would go on to lead the Mariners to their first postseason run in an eventual Hall of Fame career.

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Campbell, meanwhile, embarked on a vagabond career that included stints with the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox organizations.

The Padres signed Campbell in June 1993, and he made 23 minor league appearances that season, mostly with Triple-A Las Vegas.

Campbell was pitching well enough for the Las Vegas Stars in June 1994 that he was summoned for a spot start against the Houston Astros. Facing a lineup that included two future Hall of Famers (Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio), Campbell allowed five runs in 4.2 innings in a 6-1 Padres loss.

Seven days later, Campbell faced two batters in relief against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Jack Murphy Stadium. He allowed a game-tying, three-run home run to the first batter he faced (Raul Mondesi), retired the second (Eric Karros), and was credited with the victory when the Padres took the lead for good in the next inning.

Campbell made one more appearance in a Padres uniform, a spot start against the Colorado Rockies at Mile High Stadium on June 28, 1994. He also drove in the first two runs of his career in that game, on a fielder's choice RBI and a single, but did not factor into the pitching decision.

By the time the strike ended in 1995, Campbell had moved on to the Cubs, who gave him his final shot in the big leagues in 1996.

By the time he retired in 1999, Campbell had undergone two surgeries on his right shoulder and pitched briefly in Japan as well as independent baseball.

According to Newsweek Sports, the King County Medical Examiner list Campbell's cause and manner of death as pending.

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