Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Joe Kennedy, who collapsed and died while visiting family in Florida on Nov. 23, had a condition that caused his heart to suddenly stop beating, an autopsy reveals.
The autopsy released Tuesday found the left-hander had hypertensive heart disease, which hardens the heart's walls and can cause it to stop beating, said Dr. Vernard Adams, the Hillsborough County medical examiner.
Joe Kennedy pitched almost 909 innings in 222 career appearances, compiling a 4.79 earned-run average.
(Winslow Townson/Associated Press)
A final report on the 28-year-old's death has not been issued.
It was also determined that the pitcher had myxoid valvular disease, a condition that affects the way blood flows through a valve that separates the upper and lower chambers on the heart's left side.
Both conditions can lead to a higher risk of cardiac arrest.
Adams said medical records indicated Kennedy had some elevated blood pressure readings and had an electrocardiogram, but those tests would not necessarily reveal either condition.
Hypertensive heart disease "is very common in the general population," Adams said, but "not common in this age group."
A journeyman pitcher, Kennedy was 43-61 in seven major-league seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks and Toronto. He was a free agent at the time of his death.
Kennedy pitched almost 909 innings in 222 career appearances, compiling a 4.79 earned-run average.
Kennedy made his major-league debut in June 2001 and made his last appearance in relief on Sept. 29 in a 5-3 win over Tampa Bay.
He began last season with Oakland, appearing in 27 games. He was claimed off waivers by Arizona in August and released Aug. 15 after three appearances.
The Blue Jays signed him Aug. 29, and Kennedy got his first win as a Blue Jay on Sept. 21 in New York against the Yankees.
Athletics team physician Dr. Allan Pont told the San Francisco Chronicle that Kennedy had a family history of heart disease and the pitcher underwent numerous tests.
"There were no abnormalities to suggest anything wrong with his heart," Pont told the newspaper.
A team spokesman did not return a phone message from the Associated Press. A Blue Jays spokesman said he would check with the team's medical staff about any testing or treatment Kennedy may have received.
Kennedy and his family lived in the Denver area and had just bought a new house at the time of this death. He was visiting his in-laws in Brandon, a suburb east of Tampa, and was supposed to attend a wedding the day he died.
With files from the Associated Press
