Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brian Matusz is dead. He was 37.

The Orioles, where Matusz played from 2009 to 2016, announced his death in a statement on Tuesday, January 7.

“Our hearts are heavy tonight as we mourn the passing of former Oriole Brian Matusz,” the statement began.

“Brian was an integral part of our clubhouse from 2009 to 2016 and was beloved throughout Birdland. His passion for baseball and our community was unmatched,” the statement continued. “He dedicated his time to connecting with all the fans he could, was a valued teammate and always had a smile on his face.”

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The team concluded its statement by extending its thoughts and prayers to Matusz’s family and friends during “this difficult time.”

According to Roch Kubatko of Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), Matusz died Tuesday morning. A cause of death was not announced.

The left-handed pitcher was first drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels, but chose to play baseball at the University of San Diego, where he played for three years, according to MLB.

He capped his college career as a two-time finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, the school’s all-time leader in strikeouts (396), and won the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2008.

Matusz was the fourth overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut in August 2009.

According to MLB, he appeared in 280 regular season games during his career, including 69 starts. He also pitched for two Orioles postseason teams (2012 and 2014) and made a total of seven postseason appearances. His overall ERA was 4.92.

He was traded to the Atlanta Braves in May 2016 and released a week later, according to MLB. He then signed with the Cubs, where he started one game.

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According to MLB, Matsuz spent 2017 pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks Triple-A team in Reno. He also started in the Mexican League before ending his professional baseball career with the Long Island Ducks in 2019.