Former Atlanta Braves Pitcher Tommy Hanson Reported in Coma; has Passed Away
Mar 22, 2014; Surprise, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Tommy Hanson (19) pitches against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
WSB TV in Atlanta began sharing the following reports starting from early evening:
10PM EST UPDATE:
11PM EST UPDATE:
MIDNIGHT UPDATE:
Tommy Hanson was drafted as a Brave in the 22nd Round of the 2005 draft, and made the majors in 2009, breaking in with an 11-4 record and 2.89 ERA. After that, his career began a slow fade with a loss of pitch velocity, leading to the Braves cutting him loose after the 2012 season via the trade that brought Jordan Walden to Atlanta.
Since then, he attempted comebacks with the Angels, White Sox, Rangers, and Giants with his last major league innings coming with Los Angeles in 2013 (73 innings , 13 starts, 5.42 ERA). His last appearance was a 3 inning outing for the Angels against the Rangers on September 28th, 2013. 3 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, no runs allowed. He was 49-35 with a 3.80 ERA overall in 123 appearances.
The cause of death has not been released – and likely not even determined as yet. WSB-TV’s story reports that this health episode began early on Sunday morning and he was rushed to a hospital once having breathing difficulties.
This family has now lost two brothers at a very young age. Tommy’s step-brother passed away in April of 2013 at the age of 26. At the time, Tommy was quoted as saying:
“I was having mental issues with the death of my younger brother. I was just trying to get through it. I didn’t know how to handle it. That was the first time anything like that had ever happened to me. I didn’t know how to cope with it. … Physically, I feel great. I’m in great shape. I just had to deal with the issues going on in my head.”
Condolences have been pouring in from former teammates. We would like to share ours with the Hanson family as well.