Former pitcher Geremi Gonzalez dies

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Former Major League pitcher and Minor League veteran Geremi Gonzalez, who won 11 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1997, was killed by a lightning strike in his native Venezuela on Sunday. He was 33.

Emergency management official Herman Bracho said Monday that Gonzalez was struck by lightning at a beach.

Gonzalez last pitched in affiliated baseball for the Syracuse Chiefs in 2007, posting a 2.78 ERA in five starts before he was released by Toronto. He then moved to Japan and pitched in five games for the Yomiuri Giants.

The right-hander pitched in a total of 14 Minor League seasons, playing for 16 different teams after starting his career in the Arizona League as a 17-year-old in 1992, and was 45-53 with a 4.04 ERA during his career.

Gonzalez pitched for five Major League teams from 1997-2006, appearing in 131 games, 83 of them starts, and compiling a 30-35 record.

He also played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers. He made a combined 24 appearances for the Mets and Brewers in his final Major League season in 2006.