Sean Burroughs, former MLB player and Olympic champion, dies at 43

LOS ANGELES — Sean Burroughs, a two-time Little League World Series champion who won an Olympic gold medal and went on to a major league career that was interrupted by substance abuse, has died. He was 43.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s online records said Burroughs died Thursday, with the cause of death deferred.

USA Today, citing unnamed sources, reported Burroughs died at Stearns Champions Park in Long Beach, California, where he grew up.

The Long Beach Fire Department responded to the park shortly after 5 p.m. on a report of a person in full cardiac arrest in the parking lot. “We did all of our lifesaving measures, but we weren’t successful,” public information officer Brian Fisk said

Friday, adding that the person was declared dead at the scene.

“It is with heavy heart that I am writing this message to inform you that yesterday afternoon one of our Coaches, Sean Burroughs, tragically passed away,” Doug Wittman, president of Long Beach Little League, wrote in a statement posted on social media Friday.

Wittman coached with Burroughs for the last two years.

“He always came with a fun & friendly attitude the kids were drawn to, a wealth of baseball knowledge that could get any kid out of a batting rut and humility worth emulating,” the statement said. “To say this is a huge loss is an understatement.”

Burroughs won a gold medal with the U.S. baseball team coached by Tommy Lasorda at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.