Sean Burroughs was born on September 12, 1980 in Atlanta, Georgia and passed away unexpectedly at the age of 43 of cardiac arrest on May 9, 2024 after dropping off his son at a Little League baseball game at Stearns Park in Long Beach, California.
The Burroughs name means baseball royalty in Long Beach. Sean threw back-to-back no-hitters to help Long Beach to consecutive Little League championships then went on to star at Long Beach Wilson High just like his father Jeff. Each was drafted in the first round: Jeff Burroughs by the Washington Senators in 1969; Sean by the San Diego Padres in 1998.
Sean appeared on the David Letterman show at 12 and in Sports Illustrated at 21. He won a gold medal, playing for Tom Lasorda and Team USA in the 2000 Olympics. He made his major league debut in 2002 and, two years later, had the walk-off hit that made the Padres winners in the first regular-season game played at Petco Park. He would go on to play five years in the Major Leagues before falling out of baseball from 2008 through 2010. He talked with ESPN about his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction during that time, and his recovery and return to the game became a national story.”I just didn’t have the drive or the passion,” Burroughs told ESPN in June 2011 of his decision to walk away from the game. It’s been an incredible journey. It really has, It was just a year ago I was eating cheeseburgers out of garbage cans and living in Motel 6.”
Burroughs played with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011 and the Minnesota Twins briefly in 2012 appearing in just 10 games primarily as a PH getting two hits in 18 PA’s. Burroughs continued to play minor league and independent ball until 2017.
Burroughs’s MLB career consisted of seven seasons between 2002-2006 and 2011-2012 appearing in 528 games for the Padres, Devil Rays, Diamondbacks and Twins hitting .278 with 12 home runs, 143 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
We at Twinstrivia.com pass on our condolences to the Burroughs family, friends and fans. Thank you for the memories Sean Burroughs and rest in peace.