The local area hasn’t produced any Joe DiMaggios or Randy
Johnsons. It’s tough enough just to make baseball’s big leagues,
let alone the Hall of Fame.
Gilroy – The local area hasn’t produced any Joe DiMaggios or Randy Johnsons. It’s tough enough just to make baseball’s big leagues, let alone the Hall of Fame.
Still, Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Hollister all have strong connections to Major League baseball – from the athletes who grew up here to those who made their home in our cities when their playing days were over.
Perhaps the most interesting connection, as far as baseball lore goes, is Hollister’s association with pitcher Charles Henry Root.
“Chinski” Root was the pitcher on the mound for the Chicago Cubs in the fifth inning of the third game of the 1932 World Series when New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth supposedly “called his shot” by pointing to the grandstand beyond the outfield fence before hitting a home run off Root.
Though born in Middletown, Ohio, Root retired to Hollister when his playing days were done and is buried in the city.
Not buried is the dispute over Ruth’s legendary “called shot.” Though clearly a cherished part of baseball history, the Bambino’s famous gesture to the stands may never have actually occurred. Some observers at the time said Ruth was gesturing to the Cubs dugout rather than the grandstand. Others claim he made no gesture at all.
Whatever really happened, Root deserves to be remembered for more than just the “called shot” episode.
He won 201 games in a 17-year career, leading the National League with a 26-15 record in 1927, and went to the World Series four times with the Cubs, going 0-3 in four starts in those losing causes.
For verifiable feats, and sticking with ballplayers who retired to local communities, Don Larsen springs to mind. The Yankees pitcher tossed the only perfect game – in fact, the only no-hitter of any type – in World Series history, when he sent 27 straight Brooklyn Dodgers back to their dugout with reaching base in Game 5 of the 1956 edition.
Larsen, born in Michigan City, Ind., retired to San Martin after a 14-year Major League career with eight teams – including a 1962-1964 with the San Francisco Giants.
Dave Stieb was another solid major leaguer who spent considerable time in the area. The Toronto Blue Jays ace had a 16-year career and won the 1985 AL ERA title with a 2.48 showing during a 10-year stretch from 1980 to 1990 when he was as dependable as any pitcher in baseball.
Moving on to major leaguers who grew up or played amateur baseball in the area, we turn first to Gilroy’s Frank LaCorte. The Gilroy High product had a 10-year pitching career with Atlanta, Houston and the California Angels, peaking in 1980 when he went 8-5 and saved 11 games for the Houston Astros during their run to a Western Division title.
In the 1980 National League Championship Series against Philadelphia, LaCorte went 1-1. The Astros lost that series, but were back in the playoffs in 1981, where LaCorte pitched in two games in an NLDS loss to the L.A. Dodgers.
Pitcher Bob Stoddard went from Gavilan College to the Seattle Mariners, with whom he played for four years. As a regular member of Seattle’s rotation in 1983, Stoddard went 9-17 with a 4.41 ERA. His seven-year Major League career also included stints with Detroit, San Diego and Kansas City.
Rey Sanchez was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico but in the mid-1980’s came to Morgan Hill as an exchange student at Live Oak High. The future Major League infielder suited up for the Acorns, wowing area fans with his slick glovework and steady bat.
Sanchez has split time at shortstop and second base in a 14-year Major League career with nine teams and is currently hitting .279 as a backup with the N.Y. Yankees.
Coming up with the Chicago Cubs as the heir apparent to Shawon Dunston, Sanchez also played for a number of years with Kansas City. He had his best season with the Royals, a 1999 campaign in which he hit .294 in 134 games with 56 RBI’s.
Unfortunately for Sanchez, he came up in a time when middle infielders were expected to have more pop in their bats than in previous eras. With just 15 homers for his career, Sanchez has been overshadowed by the likes of Barry Larkin and Alex Rodriguez for his entire career.
Brandon Villafuerte was born in Hilo, Hawaii but grew up in Morgan Hill and attended Live Oak. Since coming up with Detroit in 2000, the righthanded pitcher has also seen time in the Show with Texas, San Diego and Arizona, and is now with the Giants’ Triple A affiliate in Fresno.
