Rising US baseball pitcher killed in car crash

Apr 9, 2009, 20:47 GMT

Washington - Nick Adenhart, a US baseball pitcher playing in his first full season in the country's top league, was killed in a car crash just hours after he started his first game of the year, his team the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim said Thursday.

Adenhart, 22, was a passenger in a car which was struck Wednesday night by a van that sped through a red traffic light in Fullerton, California. Adenhart, who passed away Thursday morning, the driver and another passenger were killed in the crash, the team said.

Just hours before the accident, Adenhart had pitched a superb game against the Oakland Athletics, throwing six shutout innings in front of the Angels' home crowd. He left with a 4-0 lead, but his team lost the game 6-4 due to a late-inning rally by the Athletics.

Picked up by the Angels in 2004, Adenhart battled his way into the Angels' opening day roster for the first time this year and was considered a rising star of the club. The 2009 Major League Baseball season began on Sunday.

Adenhart 'lived his dream' by getting to pitch in the big leagues, his family said in a statement released by the team. 'The Angels were his extended family.'