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Longtime minor league pitcher Matt Pobereyko, who recently became the top hurler in Mexico, died suddenly near Chicago, officials and shocked loved ones said on Monday.
He was 31 years old.
Pobereiko was in his apartment in the city of west A Chicago suburb when he collapsed Friday and was later discovered by his girlfriend, the pitcher’s brother, Daniel Pobereiko, said Monday.
“He just fell, and that’s all we know,” the grieving brother said. “We don’t know. There’s nothing outstanding in the autopsy. But, as far as I understand, he would be perfectly healthy if he had a pulse.
According to Warrenville Police Chief Sam Bonilla, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound player was found “unconscious on the kitchen floor” and “pronounced dead at the scene.”
“There were no suspicious circumstances to report, and the autopsy performed the next day revealed nothing more,” Bonilla added.
The cause of death is “pending further investigation,” a spokesman for the DuPage County coroner’s office said. The spokesperson added that it would likely take another 7.5 weeks to determine the official cause.
The death of the pitcher was a shock to loved ones, said Daniil Pobereyko. Pobereyko’s parents came to visit him at the beginning of the week, and nothing unusual seemed to happen.
“From what we know now, there are really no leads,” said Daniil Pobereyko. “They saw him at the beginning of the week and he seemed to be perfectly fine.”
Pobereyko spent two winter seasons, 2021/22 and 2022/23, with Algodoneros de Guasave and the team laid a wreath on the mound of a jug in Kuroda Park in Guasawa and wrote the number 56 in chalk.
The memorial included a handwritten message: “Thank you for bringing so much joy.”
Pobereiko’s teammates and coaches are feeling “deep sadness,” Algodoneros de Guasave spokesman Ruben Benítez said.
“He was a great teammate, got along very well with everyone,” Benitez said.
“Never (no health problems), he was always a very healthy person.”
The Hammond, Indiana native played for the Kentucky Wesleyans before starting a minor league career that included stops with the New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins.
In 2018, he moved up to the Mets Triple-A level in Las Vegas.
In recent years, most of Pobereiko’s work has been in the independent and Mexican leagues.
“He was an incredible teammate and tough opponent, but an even nicer person,” said St. Paul’s Declarationwhere Pobereiko performed in 2020. “Everyone who knew him will miss him. We convey our love to his family and friends.
Pobereiko played for Algodoneros de Guasave this winter and led the league in strikeouts, beating 73 batters in 70 1/3 innings.
His last competitive game this month was for Mexico in the Caribbean World Series in Venezuela.
Even at the advanced baseball age of 31, Pobereiko dreamed of playing at a higher level, perhaps in Asia if he couldn’t make it back to the big leagues.
“He looked at the Asian markets because he performed very well in Mexico,” said Daniel Pobereiko. “At least he hoped so. He still had some really good stuff and he was going to serve this long.”
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