Tommy Hanson, Ex-Major League Pitcher, Passed Away at 29

By Louise Bonquin | Nov 11, 2015 05:45 PM EST

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Tommy Hanson, a former major league player has died on Nov. 9 at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. He was 29.

The cause of his death is still not clear and the coroner said they still have to investigate what reduced him to a coma state early Monday. All that was known until now was that the major leaguer was rushed to the hospital on Sunday after his friend Brandon Bond found him unconscious in his home. Bond proceeded to call 911 as Hanson was not breathing anymore.

The Coweta County coroner Richard Hawk said, "Hanson's death is still under investigation and that it would be two to three days before the findings are released."

Then again, on Tuesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution disclosed that the police initially wrote "overdose" as a possible cause. However, no other details were stated. This assumption is different from what was stated earlier as Hanson was said to have suffered from "catastrophic organ failure."

Upon learning of Hanson's untimely demise, friends and colleagues expressed deep sorrow with his passing.

John Schuerholz, president of Braves, said in a statement published on NY Times, "We are incredibly saddened to learn of Tommy's tragic passing. He was a favorite in the clubhouse and with our staff, and he will truly be missed by everyone in Braves Country."

His high school coach, Steve Hernandez also deeply laments his death and told USA Today Sports, "He was so important to our community and being a human being and letting people see the real side of him, the giving side. It's always nice to have a big leaguer from your program - especially a big leaguer - willing talk to the players and communicate with him."

And his bestfriend and ex-Brave teammate, Kris Medlen, has only good words to a special person he lost too early, "He was the kindest, most loyal person I've ever met. He loved his family more than anything in the world, and his friends felt like family when around them. He was not ‘like' a brother to me, he was my brother and I'm going to miss him so much."

Hanson is a graduate of Redlands East Valley High and in College, he played for the Riverside City College. He debuted with Braves in the big league after being called in on June 3, 2009. He stayed with the team until the 2012 game season.

In 2013, he pitched his final season with the Angels after acquiring him through trade. At the end of his baseball career, his MLB statistic shows a 49-35 win-loss and 648 strikeouts record.

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