Sean Burroughs dies at 43; former MLB player won Olympic gold medal in 2000

At age 12, the Long Beach native threw back-to-back no-hitters in the Little League World Series and appeared on “The Late Show With David Letterman”

Sean Burroughs, a celebrated baseball standout who led the Long Beach All-Stars to back-to-back Little League World Series titles and played seven seasons in the major leagues, died Thursday. He was 43 years old.

Long Beach Little League president Doug Wittman confirmed Burroughs’ death. The cause of death was cardiac arrest, Burroughs’ mother, Debbie, said in a text message to the Southern California News Group.

According to Wittman, Burroughs was found unconscious next to his car in the parking lot at Stearns Champions Park in Long Beach after he dropped off his 6-year-old son, Knox, for a Little League game. CPR was administered and Burroughs was not responsive. Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived in response to 911 calls, but Burroughs was pronounced dead at the scene.

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

Long Beach Little League announced Burroughs’ death earlier Friday in a statement posted on Instagram.

Burroughs was an assistant coach for his son’s team. When he did not arrive in time for the start of the game, others became concerned and went searching for him, which is when he was found.

Burroughs was one of the most decorated amateur baseball players in history before going on to his major league career. The son of 1974 American League Most Valuable Player Jeff Burroughs, Sean starred as a pitcher and hitter on the Long Beach teams that won consecutive Little League World Series in 1992 and 1993. He threw back-to-back no-hitters in the LLWS as a 12-year-old and appeared on “The Late Show With David Letterman.”

He continued to star at Long Beach Wilson High and was drafted ninth overall by the San Diego Padres in 1998. He won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the USA Baseball National Team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and made his major league debut with the Padres in 2002.

Burroughs hit .282 but had just 11 home runs in four seasons as the Padres starting third baseman before being traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006. He hit just .190 in eight games for Tampa Bay before being released.

He played four games with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in 2007 before leaving baseball.

In a 2011 interview with ESPN’s Jim Caple, Burroughs said that he struggled with alcohol and drug abuse during his final seasons.

“I was hanging out with some bad people and had done some bad things,” Burroughs told ESPN. “That was more important my last couple of years playing ball, and the last few years.

“I was kind of like a garbage can,” he added. “Whatever I had or needed, I would find and take it. I wasn’t an out-of-town type of guy. Whatever I had or needed, I would find and take it. I would just try and fill myself with as much substances as I could, legally or illegally.”

After living in Las Vegas for three years, Burroughs got clean and made a return to the major leagues. He appeared in 78 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011 and 10 games with the Minnesota Twins in 2012. He played 53 games for the Dodgers Double-A affiliate in Chattanooga in 2013 and finished his career playing in the independent Atlantic League from 2014-17.

Following his playing career, Burroughs obtained his EMT license in 2018 and began working as a security supervisor for Allied Universal, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He was also active in coaching his son in Long Beach Little League, the same league he made famous 30 years earlier.

“He was a Long Beach legend,” Wittman said. “… I’ve had the privilege to coach with him the last couple years, our kids being on the same team, and the guy was just a joy to be around. Always smiling, very positive. (He) put a fresh look on youth sports. Just keeps it fun for the kids. In a world where youth sports is very, very competitive, he brings a better spin to and keeps it real fresh and real loose for the kids, which was fantastic.”

Burroughs is survived by son Knox, mother Debbie and father Jeff.