Lefty Gomez
| Lefty Gomez | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | ||
| Born: November 26, 1908 Rodeo, California |
||
| Died: February 17 1989 (aged 80) Greenbrae, California | ||
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | ||
| April 29, 1930 for the New York Yankees | ||
| Final game | ||
| May 23, 1943 for the Washington Senators | ||
| Career statistics | ||
| Win-Loss record | 189-102 | |
| Earned run average | 3.34 | |
| Strikeouts | 1,468 | |
| Teams | ||
| ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
| ||
| Member of the National | ||
 Baseball Hall of Fame | ||
| Elected | 1972 | |
| Election Method | Veteran's Committee | |
Vernon Louis Gomez (November 26, 1908 – February 17, 1989) was a Mexican American [1][2]left-handed major league pitcher who played in the American League for the New York Yankees between 1930 and 1942. He was born in Rodeo, California.
In his career, almost entirely spent with the Yankees, he had a 189-102 record with 1468 strikeouts and a 3.34 ERA in 2503 innings pitched. His contract was sold to the Boston Braves in 1943. Released by the Braves that year without appearing in a game, Gomez signed with the Washington Senators, but pitched only one game before being released to end his career. Also known for his great wit, Gomez was known for saying, "I'd rather be lucky than good."
Baseball career
A 20-game winner four times and an All-Star every year from 1933 to 1939, Gomez led the league twice each in wins, winning percentage and ERA, and three times each in shutouts and strikeouts. In both 1934 and 1937, he won pitching's "Triple Crown" by leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts; he also led the AL both seasons in shutouts. His .649 career winning percentage ranks 15th in major league history among pitchers with 200 or more decisions; and among pitchers who made their ML debut from 1900-1950, only Lefty Grove, Christy Mathewson and Whitey Ford have both more victories and a higher winning percentage than Gomez.
Gomez set a pair of World Series records: winning six games without a loss (1932-1, 1936-2, 1937-2, 1938-1); and most walks received by a batter in the same inning (6th, on October 6, 1937).
In the historic first major league All-Star Game (July 6, 1933), Gomez not only was the winning pitcher for the American League, but also drove in the first run of the game. This was out of character for him, as he was, even by the standards of pitchers, notorious for poor hitting. "I never broke a bat until I was 73 years old," he said. "And that was from backing the car out of the garage."
In one game, he came up to bat when it was slightly foggy. Bob Feller was on the mound and Gomez struck a match before stepping into the batter's box. "What's the big idea?" growled the umpire. "Do you think that match will help you see Feller's fast one?" "No, I'm not concerned about that," Lefty said. "I just want to make sure he can see me!"
Another example of Gomez' quick wit came with a group of reporters. Noted for his accurate and frequent brushback pitches (also known as "throwing" at the hitter), one of the reporters asked Gomez- "Is it true that you'd throw at your own mother." Gomez replied- "you're damn right I would, she's a good hitter." (This has also been said of Early Wynn.)
In another game, in 1937, he tried the patience of Tony Lazzeri, who had been lauded recently in the newspapers as a heads-up player, as well as that of his manager Joe McCarthy. Lefty was on the mound when a batter hit a grounder back to him; instead of throwing to Frank Crosetti at shortstop, to start a double play, he threw to second-baseman Lazzeri, who caught the ball in self defense. "why the hell did you throw the ball to me?" Tony asked. "Tony," Gomez answered, "All I've been hearing is what a smart player you are. I just wanted to see what you would do with the ball if you got it when you didn't expect it." Joe McCarthy stomped to the mound, fuming mad. "What's the big idea of throwing to Lazzeri?" he demanded. With a straight face, Lefty said, "I forgot which Italian to throw to. With Crosetti at short and Lazzeri at second, I couldn't think of which Italian to throw to." McCarthy angrily pointed to center field and said, "It's lucky you didn't see Joe DiMaggio!"
After baseball
In retirement, Gomez became a sought-after dinner speaker known for his humorous anecdotes about his playing days and the personalities he knew. He was a bit of a screwball, nicknamed "El Goofy," and delighted in playing practical jokes on everyone from teammates to umpires. He once stopped a World Series game to watch an airplane fly overhead. He came up with the idea of a revolving goldfish bowl to make life easier for older goldfish. On February 2, 1972, the Veterans Committee inducted Lefty Gomez into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Wearing a Yankee cap, Gomez became the 2nd Hispanic player (of Hispanic decent) to be inducted.
On August 2, 1987, he and Whitey Ford were honored with plaques to be placed in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. Gomez's plaque says he was "Noted for his wit and his fastball, as he was fast with a quip and a pitch." Despite advancing age, he was able to attend the ceremony. Although he was honored with the plaque, his uniform #11 has not been retired, and has since been worn by Joe Page, Johnny Sain, Hector Lopez, Fred Stanley, Dwight Gooden, Chuck Knoblauch, Gary Sheffield, Doug Mientkiewicz, Morgan Ensberg and Brett Gardner. In 1999, he ranked #73 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Vernon's memory and history is kept alive by his daughter Vernona.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
- Triple Crown
- List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
Notes
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - Major league career statistics
- Template:Bbhof
- cmgww.com Official Website
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