Former Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs pitcher Yoervis Medina died Thursday night after he suffered a heart attack while driving, which caused a car crash.
The 37-year-old Venezuela native reportedly had a heart attack in Naguanagua, causing him to crash into several parked cars at the Via Veneto Shopping Center, according to Radio America.
No other injuries were reported in the incident.
The Mariners, with whom Medina spent parts of three Major League seasons, released a statement on social media mourning his death.
“We are saddened to hear of the passing of former Mariners pitcher Yoervis Medina. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends,” the Mariners said Saturday on X.
Everett AquaSox, the Mariners’ High-A minor league affiliate, wrote in a post, “Sad news coming out of Venezuela, former AquaSox pitcher Yoervis Medina (2010) has passed away at the age of 37. He pitched in the Major Leagues between 2013 and 2015. RIP.”
Medina began his professional baseball career by signing with the Mariners as an amateur free agent in 2005 and spent seven years developing in their minor league system before making his MLB debut midway through the 2013 season.
As a right-handed pitcher for Seattle from 2013 to 2015, Medina appeared in 141 games, recording a 2.82 ERA and 147 strikeouts.
In the middle of the 2015 season, the Mariners traded Medina to the Cubs in exchange for catcher Welington Castillo. He pitched in only five major league games for Chicago that season, also spending time with their Triple-A affiliate.
The following offseason, the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed him off waivers, but he never reached the majors with them.
Medina’s last stint in affiliated baseball came in 2016 with the Phillies’ rookie ball team. Afterward, he continued his career internationally, most recently playing in 2023 for Tecnograniti Senago in Italy.
