Former major league pitcher Brad Lesley died of kidney failure, TMZ.com reported Monday. He was 54.
Lesley’s ex-wife, Chiho Svimonoff, told TMZ that Lesley had kidney problems and lived in a nursing home for seven months, where he received dialysis.
Svimonoff said that Lesley was taken to a hospital in Marina Del Rey, Calif., on Saturday night and later died.
Lesley played for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers from 1982-85.
Nicknamed “The Animal” because of his antics on the mound, Lesley told the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2012 that he particularly enjoyed the 1982 season with the club.
“They let me pitch and yell and scream and have a good time,” he said. “The ’82 season was a lot of fun, for losing 101 games.”