Long-time minor league pitcher Matt Pobereyko, who had recently become a top hurler in Mexico, died suddenly of a heart attack, his team said over the weekend.
Pobereyko was 31.
“We report the unfortunate news of the death of Matt Pobereyko, due to a heart attack that ended his life,” according to a statement by the Saraperos de Saltillo on Saturday.
The team placed a wreath on the pitcher’s mound at Kuroda Park in Guasave and wrote the number 56 in chalk. The memorial included a handwritten message: “Thanks for giving so much joy.”
The team’s statement did not offer any additional details on the right-hander’s sudden passing.
The Hammond, Indiana, native played in college for Kentucky Wesleyan before embarking on a minor league career that included stops in the New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins organizations.
He made it as high as the Mets triple-A team in Las Vegas in 2018.
In recent years, most of Pobereyko’s work had come in independent and Mexican leagues.
“He was an incredible teammate and fierce competitor, but an even nicer person,” according to a statement by the Saint Paul Saints, where Pobereyko pitched in 2020. “He will be missed by all that knew him. We send our love to his family and friends.
Sandra Lilley contributed.
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