James Charles Gosger (born November 6, 1942) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in the majors for ten seasons between 1963 and 1974 for six different teams. Gosger was listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 185 pounds (84 kg) and batted and threw left-handed. During his MLB career, Gosger batted .226 with 30 home runs, 177 RBI and 411 hits in 705 games played.[1]
| Jim Gosger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: November 6, 1942 Port Huron, Michigan, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 4, 1963, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 22, 1974, for the New York Mets | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .226 |
| Home runs | 30 |
| Runs batted in | 177 |
| Teams | |
Gosger appeared in 555 games at center field (291), left (216) and right (83), and eventually as a first baseman (25).[1]
History edit
Gosger attended St. Stephen High School in Port Huron, Michigan, where he played baseball, basketball and football. He attended St. Clair County Community College and played for their basketball team, before signing a bonus contract with the Red Sox in January 1962.[2]
Gosger broke into the majors in 1963 with the Boston Red Sox, playing for them two and a half years before joining the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1966–68), Seattle Pilots (1969), New York Mets (1969), Montreal Expos (1970–71), and again with the Mets (1973–74). In 1966 with Boston and Kansas City, he posted career-highs in at bats (398), hits (93), doubles (18), home runs (10) and RBI (44) while batting .234 in 128 combined games.[1] He was traded along with Bob Heise from the Mets to the San Francisco Giants for Ray Sadecki and Dave Marshall on December 12, 1969.[3]
In June 2019, the Mets accidentally included Gosger in a video meant to honor deceased members of their 1969 championship team; the Mets later apologized to Gosger.[4]
As of 2022, Gosger is living in Port Huron.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Jim Gosger Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Welper, Brenden (February 2, 2022). "'I was lucky': Port Huron native Jim Gosger reflects on his unique pro baseball career". The Times Herald. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ^ "METS GET SADECKI IN GIANTS' TRADE; Marshall Is Also Acquired for Heise and Gosger". The New York Times. December 13, 1969. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ Tasch, Justin (June 30, 2019). "Mets apologize to player they accidentally declared dead". New York Post. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet