Gary Gray (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gary Gray |
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| First baseman | |||
| Born: September 21, 1952 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| June 23, 1977, for the Texas Rangers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 27, 1982, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .240 | ||
| Home runs | 24 | ||
| Runs batted in | 71 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Gary George Gray was born on September 21, 1952. He is a former professional baseball player. Gary played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was active for parts of six seasons. His career spanned from 1977 to 1982. During this time, he played for three different teams. These teams were the Texas Rangers, the Cleveland Indians, and the Seattle Mariners.
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Starting His Baseball Career
Gary Gray played college baseball before turning professional. He attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University. In 1974, the Texas Rangers chose him in the 18th round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft. This was his first step into professional baseball.
He began his journey in the minor leagues. In 1974, he played for the Rangers' rookie team. The next year, in 1975, he played for the Anderson Rangers. He did very well there. Gary had a .302 batting average. He also hit 18 home runs and had 95 runs batted in (RBIs).
In 1976, Gary continued to play well. He was with the San Antonio Brewers. His batting average was .305. He hit 19 home runs and had 109 RBIs. These numbers showed he was a strong hitter.
Reaching the Major Leagues
For the next three seasons, Gary mostly played for the Tucson Toros. This team was the Rangers' top minor league team, called a AAA affiliate. Even while in the minors, he got chances to play for the main Texas Rangers team.
Gary made his big league debut on June 23, 1977. He played in just one game that year. In the following two seasons, he played in 17 and 16 games respectively. He was getting a taste of Major League Baseball.
Playing for New Teams
Before the 1980 season, Gary was traded. The Rangers sent him to the Cleveland Indians. He played 28 games for Cleveland that year. Most of his time was spent with their minor league team, the Tacoma Tigers.
After that season, the Seattle Mariners picked him up. This happened in a special process called the Rule 5 Draft. The Mariners' manager, Rene Lachemann, had seen Gary play. He wanted Gary to be a starter for his team.
Best Seasons and Retirement
Gary had his best season in 1981 with the Mariners. He shared the first base position with Bruce Bochte. Gary hit 13 home runs in only 208 at bats. This showed his power as a hitter.
In 1982, he played in a career-high 80 games. He had a batting average of .257. After this season, his contract was sold to the California Angels.
Gary continued his baseball career in the Mexican League. He played there from 1983 to 1987. He mostly played for the Rieleros de Aguascalientes. After these years, Gary Gray retired from playing professional baseball.
