Peach Tree Times

Anthony Varvaro, a former Atlanta Braves pitcher and New York City police officer, was killed recently in a car accident.

The 37-year-old man was on his way to work at a Sept. 11 memorial ceremony in Manhattan, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Varvaro was raised in Staten Island. He studied criminal justice and played baseball at St. John's University in New York City.

"Not only was he everything you could want out of a ball player, he was everything you could want in a person," Mike Hampton, the university's head baseball coach, said. "My heart goes out to his family, friends, teammates, and fellow officers."

Varvaro was an officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. He later embarked on a five-year baseball career as a relief pitcher from 2010 to 2015. He played for the Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves, and Boston Red Sox. 

"We are deeply saddened on the passing of former Braves pitcher Anthony Varvaro," the Atlanta Braves said in a Twitter post. "Anthony ... played parts of six seasons in the majors, including four with Atlanta. He voluntarily retired from MLB in 2016 to become a Port Authority police officer ... Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and colleagues."

Varvaro worked as a patrolman for nearly five years, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. He then became an instructor at the Port Authority Police Academy. He told the student newspaper at St. John's University that he began inquiring about police jobs at the Port Authority while still pitching in the majors.

"I figured that I had a pretty successful career in baseball; I had played a number of seasons, and I was fine moving on to the next step of my life," he said in December 2016.