Baseball legend Sean Burroughs of Long Beach passes away at 43

Sean Burroughs, a 2000 Olympic gold medalist, Little League World Series champion, and MLB first-round choice, died at 43.

Confirmation of Burroughs' passing came from Doug Wittman, president of Long Beach Little League. The cause of his death, as conveyed by his mother Debbie in a text to the Southern California News Group, was cardiac arrest.

Long Beach Little League president Doug Wittman said Burroughs was found unconscious next to his car in the parking lot at a ballfield after dropping off Knox for a game.

Wittman said Burroughs was unconscious after CPR, and he was pronounced dead at the site.

“It was very shocking,” Wittman added. “It’s a real sense of family at Long Beach Little League. So when we lose one of our own, it hurts.”

Burroughs won two Little League World Series titles with Long Beach in 1992 and 1993. After his second championship, he appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” at 12. Burroughs coached his son on the team afterward.

After defeating Cuba in the final, Burroughs and Team USA earned a gold medal in baseball at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Baseball won its first Olympic gold medal.

Burroughs joined Tampa Bay in late 2005 after playing for the Padres from 2002 to 2005. Next August, the Rays released him. He retired after a brief run with the Seattle Mariners.

Following a period residing in Las Vegas, Burroughs made a comeback to the major leagues. He appeared in 78 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011 and 10 games with the Minnesota Twins in 2012. His career concluded with 53 games played for the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate in Chattanooga in 2013, and he spent his final years in the independent Atlantic League from 2014 to 2017.

Burroughs is survived by his son Knox, as well as his parents, Debbie and Jeff.