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Former MLB pitcher Yeorvis Medina has died at age 37

The athlete reportedly suffered a heart attack while driving outside a shopping center in Venezuela on Oct. 30

Medina played for the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago Clubs during his three seasons with the MLB between 2013 and 2015

Yoervis Medina, a former pitcher for the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago Cubs, has died. He was 37.

Authorities received a call regarding a traffic incident on the night of Friday, Oct. 30, near the Via Veneto Shopping Center in Carabobo, Venezuela, according to local outlet Radio America.

A preliminary report stated, per the outlet, that Medina suffered a heart attack while driving his vehicle, causing him to crash into others that were parked at the shopping center. Upon arrival, authorities confirmed that the "citizen" was without vital signs. 

On Oct. 31, Medina’s former team, the Everett AquaSox, confirmed his death. “Sad news coming out of Venezuela, former AquaSox pitcher Yoervis Medina (2010) has passed away at the age of 37,” the team wrote on X. “He pitched in the Major Leagues between 2013 and 2015. RIP.”

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Medina, who signed with Seattle as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela in 2005, moved to the U.S. to play for the AquaSox for the 2010 season.

He was then called to the big leagues midway through the 2013 season and spent the next three seasons playing for the Seattle Mariners, where he posted a 2.82 ERA in 141 relief appearances. He totaled 140 strikeouts in 137 innings for Seattle.

“We are saddened to hear of the passing of former Mariners pitcher Yoervis Medina,” the Mariners wrote in an Oct 31 social media statement. “We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.”

Medina was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2015, when he pitched in five games with a 7.00 Earned Run Average (ERA).

His last stint with an affiliated team was with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016. He was released from his minor league contract after making three appearances.

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More recently, Medina played professional baseball in 2023 with the Tecnograniti Senago in Italy and spent several years pitching in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.