Former Hankyu Braves reliever Brad "Animal" Lesley, whose outsized personality and antics on the mound made him a fan-favorite and provided the springboard for a second career in Japanese television and later Hollywood, died on Saturday at the age of 54.
U.S. website TMZ first reported the death of the right-hander, who had suffered from kidney problems over the last several years.
Lesley's ex-wife, Chiho Svimonoff, told the website Lesley had been rushed to a hospital in Marina Del Rey, California, on Saturday night and later died.