Major League Baseball

Former professional baseball pitcher Loek van Mil dies at 34

Published Jul. 30, 2019 10:51 a.m. ET

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Loek van Mil, a 7-foot-1 right-hander who was one of the tallest professional baseball players in history, has died. He was 34.

The Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation said van Mil died Sunday "due to the consequences of a fatal accident." No other details were provided.

Van Mil was hospitalized in December after he hit his head on rocks while hiking in Australia. He sustained multiple fractures and bleeding on the brain, but he played for Australia Baseball League champion Brisbane last season.

Van Mil also spent 10 seasons in the minor leagues in the United States, pitching in the systems of Minnesota, Cincinnati, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Angels. He played for his native Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and 2017.