TORONTO (Kyodo) -- Brian Wolfe, a former pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball with 56 wins, has died at 45, his former MLB club Toronto Blue Jays said Wednesday.

After playing three seasons with the Blue Jays, Wolfe joined the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2010 and spent a total of nine years in Japan through 2018 during which time he also pitched for the SoftBank Hawks and Seibu Lions, all in the Pacific League.

Canadian media reported Wolfe was battling illness, citing a social media post by his wife.

Wolfe reached double figures in wins twice in Japan, both during his four-year spell with the Fighters as he went 12-11 in 2011 and 10-9 in 2012.

The right-hander was 56-40 with three saves and a 3.43 ERA over 167 games in NPB. He went 5-5 with a 3.81 ERA in 72 games in MLB.