Long Beach baseball legend Sean Burroughs’ sudden death last month was caused by fentanyl intoxication, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office
Burroughs, who was 43, collapsed May 9 at Stearns Champions Park, where his son was playing Little League. The Medical Examiner’s Offices said his death was accidental.
Burroughs was a towering figure in the local baseball scene as a two-time Little League World Series champ, Olympic gold medalist, former Wilson High School Bruin, and MLB standout.
The Padres used the ninth pick in the 1998 draft on Burroughs, and he was called up to the Major Leagues in 2002. He played for five years before leaving baseball.
He talked candidly about his struggles and recovery from alcohol and drug addiction — something that garnered wide attention when he returned to baseball in 2011 and 2012.
“It’s incredible I’m where I’m at,” Burroughs told ESPN at the time. “People are lucky to even have me alive, forget to see me play baseball and smiling every day. My worst day now is better than my best day then.”
After leaving the MLB, Burroughs stayed involved in baseball. He was coaching his son’s Long Beach Little League team before his death.
“I have had the privilege of coaching with Sean for the past two years and he always came with a fun and friendly attitude the kids were drawn to, a wealth of baseball knowledge that could get any kid out of a batting rut and humility worth emulating,” Long Beach Little League president Doug Wittman wrote shortly after Burroughs’ death. “To say this is a huge loss is an understatement.”