The Blue Jays shared a tribute on Wednesday following the death of former reliever Brian Wolfe, who was 45. The news arrived with Toronto two games behind Cleveland for the American League's final wild card spot, and the club responded publicly soon after his wife, Rachell, announced his passing.

“We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Blue Jay, Brian Wolfe,” the team wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time.”

The circumstances of Wolfe's death were not disclosed. In her announcement, Rachell described what her husband had gone through as a “really, really difficult and torturous battle.”

A native of Fullerton, California, Wolfe was originally selected by the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round of the 1999 draft. Toronto acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers in January 2006 in exchange for Canadian infielder Corey Koskie, and he made his major league debut for the Blue Jays on May 30, 2007 against the Yankees.

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That rookie season proved to be his busiest, as Wolfe made a career-high 38 appearances out of the Toronto bullpen. He pitched in 72 games for the club across three seasons from 2007 through 2009, finishing his big league career with a 5-5 record, a 3.81 ERA and a 1.222 WHIP over 82.2 innings. He struck out 47 batters against 22 walks. His final major league appearance came on Oct. 2, 2009 against the Orioles.

Wolfe's playing career was far from over at that point. He moved to Japan and pitched nine seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, suiting up for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Saitama Seibu Lions. He appeared in 167 games overseas and went 56-40 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.339 WHIP, a run that dwarfed his time in the majors in both volume and success.

He also won championships there. Wolfe claimed the Japan Series title in both 2014 and 2015 with the Hawks, adding hardware that eluded him during his stint in Toronto.

The Blue Jays are in the middle of a wild card chase as the news arrived, sitting fourth in the American League East. Wolfe leaves behind a career that spanned two countries and more than a decade of professional baseball.