Gary Thomasson
Gary Thomasson | |
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Outfielder / First baseman | |
Born: San Diego, California | July 29, 1951|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
September 5, 1972, for the San Francisco Giants | |
Last MLB appearance | |
October 6, 1980, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .249 |
Home runs | 61 |
Runs batted in | 294 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Gary Leah Thomasson (born July 29, 1951) is a retired Major League Baseball player. An outfielder and first baseman, Thomasson played with the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1972 to 1980. He was part of the Yankees' 1978 World Series winning team over the Dodgers.
Career[]
Thomasson attended Oceanside High School in Oceanside, California and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 7th round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft.[1] He made his Major League debut on September 5, 1972, pinch-hitting for pitcher Frank Reberger in a 4–3 Giants' win over the San Diego Padres.[2] In 1973, his first full Major League season, Thomasson hit .285 in 112 games.
Thomasson was traded along with Gary Alexander, Dave Heaverlo, John Henry Johnson, Phil Huffman, Alan Wirth and $300,000 from the Giants to the Athletics for Vida Blue on March 15, 1978.[3] Mario Guerrero was sent to the Athletics just over three weeks later on April 7 to complete the transaction.
Thomasson spent only a few months and 47 games with Oakland before being traded to the New York Yankees for Dell Alston, Mickey Klutts, and $50,000, on June 15, 1978. Eight months later he was on the move again, dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers for catcher Brad Gulden on February 15, 1979.
Purchased from the Dodgers by the Yomiuri Giants of Japanese Nippon Pro Baseball on December 22, 1980, Thomasson spent his final two professional seasons (1981–82) in Japan. Signed with great fanfare to the biggest contract ever given to a player in the Nippon league,[4] Thomasson was a disappointment in his two years in Japan, coming close to setting the league strikeout record before a knee injury ended his career.[5]
Tokyo writer and conceptual artist Genpei Akasegawa published a book containing photographs of found objects which he termed "Hyperart Thomasson".[6] The book enjoyed a cult following among late-1980s Japanese youth.[7]
References[]
- ^ Gary Thomasson statistics, Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved Aug. 20, 2021.
- ^ Boxscore, Tuesday, September 5, 1972, 7:30PM, San Diego Stadium.
- ^ "Seven Players Traded to A's," United Press International (UPI), Thursday, March 16, 1978. Retrieved October 22, 2020
- ^ Whiting, Robert. You Gotta Have Wa (Vintage Departures, 1989), p. 79.
- ^ Thomasson entry, Baseball-Reference Bullpen. Retrieved Aug. 15, 2021.
- ^ Akasegawa, Genpei (2009). Hyperart: Thomasson. Kaya Press. ISBN 9781885030467. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- ^ "EPISODE 129: Thomassons," 99% Invisible (Aug. 26, 2014).
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- 1951 births
- Living people
- Major League Baseball outfielders
- Los Angeles Dodgers players
- San Francisco Giants players
- New York Yankees players
- Oakland Athletics players
- Yomiuri Giants players
- American expatriate baseball players in Japan
- Baseball players from San Diego
- Arizona Instructional League Giants players
- Great Falls Giants players
- Decatur Commodores players
- Amarillo Giants players
- Phoenix Giants players