Brian Wolfe, who pitched three seasons in MLB with the Toronto Blue Jays before a nine-year career in Japan, died Tuesday, Sept. 15, according to a social media post by his wife, Rachell. He was 45.

“I’m sorry to write this but after a really really difficult and torturous battle Brian Wolfe passed away early this morning,” Rachell Wolfe wrote on her Facebook account.

A Fullerton, Calif., native, Brian Wolfe was a sixth-round draft pick out of Servite High School in 1999 by the Minnesota Twins. He spent six years (1999-2005) pitching in the Twins’ minor league system, reaching as high as Triple-A.

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Wolfe starred in Japan after end of MLB tenure

The Twins released Wolfe in May 2005, and he finished out the season in the Milwaukee Brewers’ system. In January 2006, the Brewers traded Wolfe to the Blue Jays for Corey Koskie.

With the Blue Jays, Wolfe moved up the minor-league ladder quickly. He made his big league debut in May 2007 and went on to make a career-high 38 appearances that season out of Toronto’s bullpen, posting a 2.98 ERA.

A right-handed pitcher, Wolfe made 72 appearances over his three major-league seasons (2007-09), going 5-5 with a 3.81 ERA. He became a free agent after the 2009 season and embarked on the next chapter of his career overseas.

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Wolfe signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball, the top league in Japan, and became a star. From 2010-13, Wolfe started 77 games for the Fighters and went 35-29. His final season with the Fighters was Shohei Ohtani’s first.

Wolfe finished his Japanese career with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks (2014-15) and Seibu Lions (2016-18) before retiring at age 37.

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Former major league outfielder Brandon Barnes confirmed Wolfe’s death in a video posted to his Facebook account Wednesday.

“I just lost one of my best friends and a mentor,” he said.

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