Frankie De La Cruz, Former MLB Pitcher, Dead at 37

Frankie De La Cruz, a former MLB pitcher who played for multiple teams, died on Sunday. He was 37 years old. According to multiple reports, De La Cruz died of a heart attack. His Dominican winter league team, Toros del Este, was the first to report the news.

De La Cruz played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011. When the team learned about his death, they released a statement that said: “Condolences to the family and friends of former Brewers pitcher Frankie De La Cruz, who passed away last night at the age of 37. De La Cruz made 11 relief appearances for 2011 NL Central champions, posting a 2.77 ERA.” Brewers fans also paid tribute to De La Cruz.

“My condolences to friends and family of Frankie De La Cruz who will always be part of the [Brewers] family regardless of how long it has been since he pitched for the team,” one fan responded on Twitter. Another fan tweeted: “Wow, my condolences go out to his family and friends. May God rest his soul.”

De La Cruz signed with the Detroit Tigers in 2001 but didn’t make his major league debut until 2007. Later that year, De La Cruz was traded to the Florida Marlins (now Miami Marlins) with several other notable names for Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. He spent the entire 2008 season with the Marlins organization before being traded to the San Diego Padres in 2009. He was released by the Padres in December of that year and then played for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball in 2010. De La Cruz returned to the major leagues in 2011 when he signed with the Brewers. He also had a stint with the Chicago Cubs organization.