Terry Leach
Encyclopedia
Terry Hester Leach is a former Major League Baseball
pitcher
who played from to.
, and was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox
in January , but the pick was voided. At which point, he signed with the unaffiliated Baton Rouge Cougars of the Gulf States League. With the Cougars, he was 2-0 with a 6.16 earned run average
in five games. A year later, he signed with the Atlanta Braves
as an undrafted free agent.
With the Greenwood Braves
, Leach went 3-2 with a far more respectable 2.55 ERA in . Leach went 19-23 as a minor leaguer in the Braves' farm system when he was released by the Braves July 23, . On July 27, he signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets
.
on August 12, . With the Mets leading 4-2 over the Chicago Cubs
, Leach surrendered a two run home run
to Mike Lum
, tying the game. The Mets, however, won it in extra innings
, 7-4.
Leach made only one start with the Mets in ; it was, however, one of the greatest pitching performances in franchise history. Rick Ownbey
was scheduled to start on October 1, the second to last day of the season, however, a blister on his throwing hand forced Mets manager George Bamberger
to start Leach in his place. Leach ended up tossing a 10-inning one-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies
; the only hit being a fifth inning triple
by Luis Aguayo
.
Despite ending the season on a high note, Leach spent all of & in the minors. He split between the Mets and Tidewater Tides, and was essentially a minor leaguer again in , making only six appearances with the Mets during their World Championship season.
Leach did not allow a run in Spring training
, but was still cut in the final week and sent back to the minors. However, Dwight Gooden
's stint in a drug rehabilitation center coupled with Bob Ojeda
being out for the season-ending surgery, opened a spot in the rotation for Leach. Leach responded with an 11-1 record and ten consecutive wins. Pitching exclusively out of the bullpen
again a season later, Leach went 7-2 with a 2.54 ERA and three saves. In the National League Championship Series
against the Los Angeles Dodgers
, he pitched five innings without giving up a run.
for Aquedo Vasquez. He went 5-6 with a 4.15 ERA in his only season in Kansas City. He was released during Spring training
the following season, and caught on with the Minnesota Twins
. In , he made his second trip to the post season while with the Twins, and made two appearances in their World Series
victory over the Atlanta Braves.
Leach became a free agent after the Series, and signed with the Montreal Expos
. The Expos released him during Spring training, and he signed with the Chicago White Sox
. In , Leach was 6-5 with a 1.95 ERA for the ChiSox. He split between the White Sox, their double-A affiliate and their triple-A affiliate before retiring at the end of the season.
, Things Happen for a Reason: The True Story of an Itinerant Life in Baseball with Tom Clark.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who played from to.
Route to the majors
Leach played college ball at Auburn UniversityAuburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
, and was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in January , but the pick was voided. At which point, he signed with the unaffiliated Baton Rouge Cougars of the Gulf States League. With the Cougars, he was 2-0 with a 6.16 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in five games. A year later, he signed with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
as an undrafted free agent.
With the Greenwood Braves
Greenwood Braves
The Greenwood Braves were a minor league baseball team located in Greenwood, South Carolina that existed from 1968 to 1979. Affiliated with the Atlanta Braves, they were part of the Western Carolinas League. Notable alumni include Rafael Ramirez, Joe Cowley, Steve Bedrosian, Jose Alvarez, Gerald...
, Leach went 3-2 with a far more respectable 2.55 ERA in . Leach went 19-23 as a minor leaguer in the Braves' farm system when he was released by the Braves July 23, . On July 27, he signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
.
New York Mets
After a season and a half in the minors with the Mets organization, he made his major league debut at Wrigley FieldWrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
on August 12, . With the Mets leading 4-2 over the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, Leach surrendered a two run home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
to Mike Lum
Mike Lum
Michael Ken-Wai Lum was an Outfielder and First Baseman for the Atlanta Braves , Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs...
, tying the game. The Mets, however, won it in extra innings
Extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
, 7-4.
Leach made only one start with the Mets in ; it was, however, one of the greatest pitching performances in franchise history. Rick Ownbey
Rick Ownbey
Richard Wayne Ownbey is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played in parts of four seasons in the majors, between and , for the New York Mets and St...
was scheduled to start on October 1, the second to last day of the season, however, a blister on his throwing hand forced Mets manager George Bamberger
George Bamberger
George Irvin Bamberger was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the 1951–1952 New York Giants and the 1959 Baltimore Orioles. He later served as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets ....
to start Leach in his place. Leach ended up tossing a 10-inning one-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
; the only hit being a fifth inning triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
by Luis Aguayo
Luis Aguayo
Luis Aguayo Muriel is the former third base coach of the New York Mets baseball team. He is a former major league baseball player. An infielder, Aguayo played with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1980 to 1988. During the season, Aguayo was traded for pitcher Amalio Carreno to the New York Yankees...
.
Despite ending the season on a high note, Leach spent all of & in the minors. He split between the Mets and Tidewater Tides, and was essentially a minor leaguer again in , making only six appearances with the Mets during their World Championship season.
Leach did not allow a run in Spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
, but was still cut in the final week and sent back to the minors. However, Dwight Gooden
Dwight Gooden
Dwight Eugene Gooden , nicknamed "Doc Gooden" or "Dr. K", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared pitchers in the National League in the middle and late 1980s.-Career:...
's stint in a drug rehabilitation center coupled with Bob Ojeda
Bob Ojeda
Robert Michael Ojeda is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. Ojeda is best remembered as an anchor in the 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets starting rotation , and for being the lone survivor of a March 22, boating accident that killed fellow Cleveland Indians pitchers...
being out for the season-ending surgery, opened a spot in the rotation for Leach. Leach responded with an 11-1 record and ten consecutive wins. Pitching exclusively out of the bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
again a season later, Leach went 7-2 with a 2.54 ERA and three saves. In the National League Championship Series
National League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series is a round in the postseason that determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to Major League Baseball's championship, the World Series, facing the winner of the American League Championship Series. The reigning...
against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, he pitched five innings without giving up a run.
World Series ring
In June , the Mets traded Leach to the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
for Aquedo Vasquez. He went 5-6 with a 4.15 ERA in his only season in Kansas City. He was released during Spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
the following season, and caught on with the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. In , he made his second trip to the post season while with the Twins, and made two appearances in their World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
victory over the Atlanta Braves.
Leach became a free agent after the Series, and signed with the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
. The Expos released him during Spring training, and he signed with the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. In , Leach was 6-5 with a 1.95 ERA for the ChiSox. He split between the White Sox, their double-A affiliate and their triple-A affiliate before retiring at the end of the season.
Author
In , Leach wrote his autobiographyAutobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Things Happen for a Reason: The True Story of an Itinerant Life in Baseball with Tom Clark.