Former Baltimore Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz, the No. 4 pick in the 2008 MLB Draft who spent nearly his entire eight-year career with the Orioles, died Tuesday at age 37.

Matusz played in 279 games for Baltimore, making 68 starts. The only other major league team he played for was the Chicago Cubs, starting three innings on July 31, 2016.

“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 Orioles said in a statement. “He dedicated his time to connecting with every fan he could, was a valued teammate and always had a smile on his face.”

Our hearts are heavy tonight as we mourn the passing of former Oriole Brian Matusz.

Brian was a fixture in our clubhouse from 2009 to 2016 and was beloved throughout Birdland. His passion for baseball and our community was unmatched. He dedicated his time to connecting with every fan he… pic.twitter.com/wNN3WkO8l4

– Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) January 8, 2025

No cause of death was announced.

Matusz, who eventually became a reliever, was best known for his success against Hall of Famer David Ortiz, who went 4-of-29 (.138) with 13 strikeouts in his career against Matusz.

He played for the Orioles in both the 2012 and 2014 postseasons.

Baltimore traded Matusz, who had a 12.00 ERA in seven games, to the Braves in May 2016, and Atlanta released him a week later. He signed with the Cubs, where he played in the minors except for one big league start. His pitching career ended in 2019.

Matusz was originally drafted in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Angels in 2005, but decided to go to the University of San Diego, where he won the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year and was a two-time finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. He finished his college career as the school’s all-time leader in strikeouts with 396 points.

Matusz would have been 38 years old on February 11th.