Former MLB outfielder Brandon Barnes mourns Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher Brian Wolfe's sudden death in emotional post

On September 16, 2026, former major league player Brandon Barnes paid tribute to Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brian Wolfe after Wolfe died at age 45. Wolfe passed away early on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. His wife, Rachell Wolfe, first shared the news on Facebook, writing that he died after what she described as a difficult and torturous battle. No cause of death has been made public.

Former MLB outfielder Brandon Barnes, a fellow Orange County native who played in the majors from 2012 to 2018, posted a video on Facebook the following day. US Weekly reported the tribute and quoted Barnes at length from that video. The Toronto Blue Jays also issued a statement on social media on Wednesday, September 16.

Brandon Barnes said:

"Life is too short, and I know everybody says that. But I just lost one of my best friends and a mentor. Those words hit a lot f****in' different right now because eventually there will be a last conversation with somebody you love. A last phone call, a last laugh, a last text, and a last time you see them. Most of the time you won’t know it's the last one, and that's the part that gets me."

He further said:

"We spend so much of our lives worrying about the s*** that doesn't matter: holding grudges, stressing about money, worrying about what strangers think about us, putting off that trip, putting off that phone call, putting off that dream that is in your heart, thinking what we will eventually get around to it."

He continued:

"When you're with the people you love, be there. Put the phone down. I fall victim to this. Listen to them. Laugh with them. You are not going to get these days back. Take that picture with them. Stay just a little bit longer. Because I'm realizing right now that some of the ordinary moments we barely think about while they’re happening end up becoming the moments we’d give anything to have one more time."

Brian Wolfe's death and playing career

Rachell Wolfe announced his death on Facebook. She wrote:

"I'm sorry to write this but after a really really difficult and torturous battle Brian Wolfe passed away early this morning."

She and Brian shared two daughters, Scarlett and Avery. The Toronto Blue Jays posted:

"We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Blue Jay, Brian Wolfe. Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time."

Brian Thomas Wolfe was born on November 29, 1980, in Fullerton, California. He starred at Servite High School in Anaheim, where he was one of Orange County's leading high school pitchers in the late 1990s. As a sophomore in 1997, he went 8-0 with a 0.27 ERA.

He later made The Los Angeles Times All-Orange County team, going 11-2 with a 1.37 ERA and 139 strikeouts as a junior and 12-0 with a 1.30 ERA as a senior. After committing to Cal State Fullerton, he signed with the Minnesota Twins after they selected him in the sixth round of the 1999 MLB Draft (179th overall).

Brian Wolfe spent years in the minors with the Twins before joining the Milwaukee Brewers organization. After becoming a free agent following the 2009 season, Wolfe pitched nine seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball from 2010 to 2018 with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and Saitama Seibu Lions.

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He started 77 games for the Fighters from 2010 to 2013 and went 35-29. His last season with the Fighters coincided with Shohei Ohtani's first year on that club. Wolfe later won Japan Series titles with SoftBank in 2014 and 2015, though injuries limited his work in those seasons. Over nine NPB seasons, Brian Wolfe compiled a 56-40 record and a 3.43 ERA in 167 appearances. He retired after the 2018 season at age 37.

After leaving the mound, Brian Wolfe founded Wolfepack Pitching to work with young pitchers.

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