Tuesday, June 29, 2021

#105 Gary Gentry

Unsung 1969 WS hero…. a secret weapon against the favored Orioles....facing the most potent lineup in baseball at the time, the rookie put a shut down on the O’s in a harrowing performance aided by two miracle catches by Tommy Agee and relief by Nolan Ryan...but game 3 conquest put Mets in control....native of Phoenix....born, raised, played HS, Community College and at the fabled player factory Arizona State University....Led Sun Devils to 1967 NCAA championship.....Unfortunately his WS win will always be a high point.....Won 13 in his first season and career high...barely above 500 win % in first 3 years.....Achilles Heal; owned a fiery temper which eroded the relationship between teammates, management, and fans alike....known for flipping his glove and angry stares to teammates on the field....despite having a break even year in 1971 he made progress with anger issues in a report per skipper Gil Hodges.....Gil would never live to see if his prediction  of progress would continue as he would expectedly pass away during 1972 Spring Training at age 47....Gentry's value dropped with a 7-10 record in 1972....traded and started a two season comeback with the Brave....Braves hoped for duplication of Nolan Ryan's turn of career with the Angels....They didn't get it ...fared no better only winning 5 decisions in a handful of games ....Braves released him mid 1975 season and signed by the Mets in a desperate hope of a comeback, but failed to register an out in only minor league appearance....steered clear of game in his day afterwards opting a real estate career in hometown Phoenix....When he was "on" drew raves from one opponent, Astro Jim Wynn, who said he had better stuff than Seaver.



 

No comments:

Post a Comment