Former Orioles reliever Stewart dies

Former Baltimore Orioles reliever Sammy Stewart has died, the organization announced Saturday. He was 63.

Stewart was found dead Friday at a residence in Hendersonville, N.C., according to published reports.

"There will be an autopsy to determine the cause of death," Major Frank T. Stout of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office told the Baltimore Sun. "He could have had a heart attack or a related issue. We knew he had struggled with addiction. But we don't know at this point."

Stewart, who also pitched for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians during a major league career from 1978-87, fell on hard times after his baseball career ended.

Two of his children died from cystic fibrosis -- a son at age 11 in 1991 and a daughter at age 34 in 2016. He also struggled with drug addiction and committed various crimes that led to spending six years and eight months in jail.

"It's just a sad, sad situation," former Baltimore teammate Mike Boddicker told the Sun. "Sammy had a lot of trials and tribulations in his life and Sammy had a really great heart. He was a fun person. With the situation with his kids and everything he went through, it's not an easy thing. I can't imagine going through what he went through as a parent. It's just tragic, is what it is, because he did have a great heart."

Stewart went 59-48 with a 3.59 ERA in 359 appearances (25 starts) during his career. The right-hander spent eight seasons with the Orioles (1978-85) and was a key piece of the 1983 World Series championship team by tossing 9 1/3 scoreless innings that postseason.

--Field Level Media