Former major league pitcher Tommy Hanson has died at the age of 29. The Atlanta Braves confirmed the report late Monday night. Hanson, who pitched for the Braves and Los Angeles Angels for five seasons, slipped into a coma Sunday night after experiencing trouble breathing and never came out of it, passing away after catastrophic organ failure.
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he was drafted by the Braves in the twenty-second round out of Riverside Community College in Riverside, California as a draft-and-follow pick. He made his major league debut on June 3, 2009 with the Braves after they cut Tom Glavine, and was named National League Rookie of The Month. He finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year race behind Miami Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan and Philadelphia Phillies lefty starter J.A. Happ. He ended the season with an 11-4 record and a 2.89 ERA, and became the first NL rookie starter to beat the Red Sox and Yankees in consecutive starts. He also separate streaks of twenty and nineteen scoreless innings in a row.
Hanson finished with a 10-11 record and a 3.33 ERA in 2010, setting a career high in innings pitched with 202.2, followed by an 11-7 record with a 3.60 ERA in 2011, and a 13-10 record with a 4.48 ERA in 2012.
After that 2012 season, the Braves traded Hanson to the Los Angels Angels of Anaheim for reliever Jordan Walden. In his only season with the Angels, Hanson went 4-3 with a 5.42 ERA.
The Angels non-tendered him and on February 11, 2014, after which the Texas Rangers signed Hanson to a major league contract. However, they released him on March 26. He signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago White Sox on April 7 and was assigned to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. Hanson was placed on the disabled list on June 12 and missed the remainder of the season. He signed a minor league deal with the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants on May 13, 2015.
The Last Word On Sports family would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Tommy Hanson in the wake of this terrible news.
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