Who is Brian Matusz? Everything on the Orioles' first-round draft who lost life at 37

Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher, Brian Matusz, has passed away at the age of 37. Matusz’s career highlights include being the fourth overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, playing for multiple teams, and winning the World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.

The Baltimore Orioles lost his former pitcher Brian Matusz on Tuesday. Matusz died at the age of 37, leaving his family, fans, and friends heartbroken about their loss. While most MLB fans are aware of who Matusz was, for new-age fans, here’s everything you need to know about the former MLB pitcher:

Brian Matusz was born on February 11, 1987, in Colorado, United States. After graduating in 2005 from St Mary’s High School in Arizona, Matusz went ahead to attend the University of San Diego. It’s in USD where Matusz’s journey as a pitcher kickstarted.

Brian Matusz played as a starting pitcher for the San Diego Toreros and was named Pitcher of the Year by the West Coast Conference in 2008. Moreover, Matusz also made it to the finals of the Roger Clemens Award, which was later won by Aaron Crow from the University of Missouri.

In 2008, Brian Matusz made it to the MLB when the Baltimore Orioles signed him as the fourth overall pick of the MLB Draft. In June 2009, Matusz got promoted as a starting pitcher from being a high Single-A, after successfully completing the spring training.

Brian Matusz got to play his first-ever MLB game in August against the Detroit Tigers. Following that game, the Orioles benched the pitcher for the rest of the season.

Nevertheless, Matusz succeeded in making a great first impression on the fans. As a result, Matusz won his place on Baseball America’s 2010 All-Rookie Team.

Brian Matusz stayed with the Baltimore Orioles for 7 long years before he was traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Trevor Belicek and Brandon Barker. In 2016, Matusz signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs, exiting the Braves. The pitcher got to play his debut game with the Cubs against the Seattle Mariners in July 2016.

However, due to his unimpressive performance in that game, the Cubs decided to bench him. During the World Series that year, Matusz got to play just one game and ended up winning the World Series ring. Following that season, Matusz was elected to free agency.

Upon his exit from the Cubs, Brian Matusz signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and stayed there for two years before signing with the Mexican League’s Monclova in 2019. The pitcher stayed there for less than a month and went ahead to sign with the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball’s Ducks.

In January 2025, Brian Matusz lost his life due to unknown reasons. Matusz’s former team, Baltimore Orioles, broke the news to the fans with a heartbreaking statement on X.

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