Former MLB player, now police officer, dies in car crash

A car going the wrong way on a highway in New Jersey on Sunday killed Anthony Varvaro, a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves and Port Authority police officer. Varvaro was on his way to work security at a 9/11 memorial in Manhattan when the car hit him, killing him and the other driver. The crash is still under investigation. He is survived by his wife and four children. 

Who was Varvaro? The 37-year-old officer was raised on Staten Island in New York City. Seattle drafted him in 2005, and he played for the Mariners, Braves, and Red Sox from 2010 to 2016. He left halfway through the 2015 season to have elbow surgery and then retired from baseball after the 2016 season to become a police officer. Valvaro’s family remembered his accomplishments but said he focused more on the little things. “He cherished every moment spent with friends and family,” according to the family’s written statement. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Paul Butler’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about a Little League baseball player showing sportsmanship and kindness.