A's Comeback Pitcher Pat Neshek Celebrates Team Success, But Then Loses Newborn Son to Mystery Death
Baby Neshek Died Just 23 Hours After He Was Born
There's no other word but heartbreaking to describe the last few days for Oakland A's pitcher Pat Neshek and his wife Stephanee: Neshek was enjoying a personal comeback year, his team was experiencing an incredible comeback by clinching the American League West division on Wednesday and he and his wife celebrated the birth of their first child on Tuesday.
But less than 23 hours after Gehrig John Neshek was born, the seemingly healthy baby died on Wednesday.
Read: Sylvester Stallone's Son: Cause of Death Revealed
"Please pray for my family. Tonight my wife & I lost our first & only son 23 hours after he was born with no explanation," Pat Neshek tweeted on Wednesday,
Stephanee Neshek tweeted, "loved him so much! I am at a loss for words right now … he died peacefully sleeping in my arms unexpectedly without any explanation."
So far, there has been no update on the cause of Gehrig Neshek's death.
The A's were 13 games behind in the AL West as recently as June 30, and have become only the fifth team in Major League Baseball history to come back from that big a deficit to win their division.
Neshek, who's been a pro baseballer since 2006, has bounced around from the Twins to the Padres to the Orioles and now the A's, and had to sit out the entire 2009 season after having "Tommy John," or ligament replacement, surgery.
He was traded to the A's in August, and after an impressive stint with the A's minor league team, Neshek had likely earned the chance to pitch in the upcoming playoffs, as he sported a1.92 ERA in 19 2/3 innings for the A's this season.
Read: JonBenet Ramsey Would Have Turned 22 This Week [VIDEO]
The A's next play on Saturday, but it's unclear when Neshek will rejoin his teammates.
"Our hearts go out to Pat and Stephanee and we share in their sorrow of losing their young son," an A's spokesperson told the Associated Press. "The entire A's organization will keep the Neshek family in our prayers and thoughts, as they try to come to grips with this tragic occurrence in their lives."
Stephanee Neshek has continued tweeting responses to fan support, tweeting on Thursday, "Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Every kind word helps."
