Odalis Perez, a fixture in LA rotations since the early 2000s, has died.

by Cary Osborne

Odalis Perez, one of the key arms of Dodger starting rotations of the early 2000s and a 2002 All-Star, has died.

His lawyer told ESPN that the former star pitcher died at his home in the Dominican Republic. Perez was 44 years old.

The Dodgers acquired the left-handed pitcher from the Atlanta Braves along with outfielder Brian Jordan for Gary Sheffield before the 2002 season. Perez played five seasons with the Dodgers from 2002–2006 and had a 45–40 record with a 3.94 ERA in 132 games (120 starts). He also played for the Braves, Royals and Nationals in a 10-season career from 1998 to 2008, going 73–82 with a 4.46 ERA.

His best years were as a Dodger. In 2002, he went 15–10 with a 3.00 ERA in 222 1/3 innings. His 0.99 WHIP ranked second in the National League. He also hit his only career home run that season on Aug. 28 in a game in which he pitched eight scoreless innings.

Perez is one of 10 Dodgers all time to pitch a nine-inning shutout while facing the minimum 27 batters. He did so against the Cubs on April 26, 2002. Other names on that list include Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax and Dazzy Vance as well as Don Newcombe and Orel Hershiser.

The Dominican native started Games 1 and 4 of the 2004 National League Division Series for the Dodgers against the Cardinals.

Perez played his final game in 2008 with the Nationals.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Odalis Pérez tragically passed away at the age of 43 after an accident at his home in the Dominican Republic.

The left-hander signed with the Atlanta Braves as an amateur free agent in 1994 and made his MLB debut four years later. He played three seasons with the organization before being traded to the Dodgers in January 2002 as part of the blockbuster that sent Gary Sheffield to Atlanta.

Pérez’s first season with the Dodgers was successful as he posted career-bests in wins (15), ERA (3.00), innings pitched (222.1), strikeouts (155), FIP (3.36) and WHIP (0.99) en route to earning his only All-Star Game selection.

Pérez spent parts of five seasons in L.A., going 45-40 with a 3.94 ERA, 3.98 FIP and 1.19 WHIP with 531 strikeouts against 169 walks over 772 innings pitched (132 games, 120 starts).

The Dodgers traded Pérez and two Minor League players to the Kansas City Royals at the 2006 MLB non-waiver trade deadline for relief pitcher Elmer Dessens.

Pérez pitched for the Royals over the next one-and-a-half seasons before closing out his career with the Washington Nationals in 2008. Pérez was the club’s Opening Day starter that year and most notably threw the first pitch at Nationals Park.

In 10 MLB seasons, Pérez went 73-82 with a 4.46 ERA, 4.21 FIP and 1.35 WHIP with 920 strikeouts against 388 walks across 1,335 innings pitched (252 games, 221 starts).

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Odalis Pérez, a former pitcher who played a decade in the MLB, died on Thursday in his native Dominican Republic.

Pérez's lawyer, Walin Batista, told ESPN that the 44-year-old appeared to have fallen from a ladder at his home, where he was alone.

"Around 7 p.m., his brother Cristian Perez arrived at the house and found Odalis lying in the patio," Batista told the outlet. "We don't know yet the cause of his death, but everything seems to indicate Odalis slipped down a ladder."

"This is a tragedy," Batista added.

Pérez joined the Atlanta Braves as a rookie in 1998 and went on to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and Washington Nationals, before playing his final MLB game in 2008.

He earned an All-Star nod in 2002 during his time with the Dodgers, ESPN reported.