Former MLB Relief Pitcher Scott Sauerbeck Dead At 53

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Sauerbeck has died at the age of 53, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Thursday.

Details surrounding his passing have not been revealed.

Sauerbeck was selected by the New York Mets in the 23rd round of the 1994 draft. After spending time in New York's farm system, Pittsburgh then scooped up the Miami University (Ohio) product as part of the Rule 5 Draft in 1998.

He made his big league debut for the Pirates during the 1999 season. In his five-year stint in the Steel City, he pitched 308.2 innings -- earning an ERA of 3.56. In 2002, he appeared in a franchise record 78 games, finishing with a 2.30 ERA.

Sauerbeck was traded to Boston the following year ... and would go on to miss the entire 2004 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his left shoulder.

He later made appearances for both Cleveland and Oakland between 2005 and 2006 ... before he ultimately called it a career in 2008. He finished with a 20-17 record and 3.82 ERA on the mound.