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==Early life==
==Early life==
Gullett was born in Lynn, Kentucky, and attended McKell High School in [[South Shore, Kentucky]], where he was an outstanding three-sports athlete in [[baseball]], [[American football|football]], and [[basketball]]. He began to pitch while in eighth grade.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hunter |first1=Al |title=Unlucky Don Gullett's Lucky Decade |url=http://weeklyview.net/2018/04/19/unlucky-don-gulletts-lucky-decade/ |website=The Weekly View |access-date=July 15, 2021}}</ref> As a high school pitcher, he once tossed a [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]]—including striking out 20 of the 21 hitters he faced. Gullett excelled as a high school football player as well once scoring 72 points in a single game. He ran for 11 touchdowns and kicked 6 extra points.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaiser |first1=Robert |title=Don Gullett's Spectacular Career Only a Memory |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-10-01-8901190102-story.html |access-date=8 August 2023 |agency=Chicago Tribune |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=1 October 1989}}</ref> He was named all-state in three sports his senior year (baseball, football, basketball). Gullett's legacy is remembered in a monument on the courthouse lawn in [[Greenup County, Kentucky]] that declares that "This is Don Gullett Country."<ref name="memory">{{cite web |last1=Kaiser |first1=Robert |title=Don Gullet's Spectacular Career Only a Memory |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-10-01-8901190102-story.html |website=chicagotribune.com |publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=October 7, 2018 |date=October 1, 1989}}</ref>
Gullett was born in Lynn, Kentucky, and attended McKell High School in [[South Shore, Kentucky]], where he was an outstanding three-sports athlete in [[baseball]], [[American football|football]], and [[basketball]]. He began to pitch while in eighth grade.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hunter |first1=Al |title=Unlucky Don Gullett's Lucky Decade |url=http://weeklyview.net/2018/04/19/unlucky-don-gulletts-lucky-decade/ |website=The Weekly View |access-date=July 15, 2021}}</ref> As a high school pitcher, he once tossed a [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]]—including striking out 20 of the 21 hitters he faced. Gullett excelled as a high school football player as well, once scoring 72 points in a single game. He ran for 11 touchdowns and kicked 6 extra points.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaiser |first1=Robert |title=Don Gullett's Spectacular Career Only a Memory |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-10-01-8901190102-story.html |access-date=8 August 2023 |agency=Chicago Tribune |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=1 October 1989}}</ref> He was named all-state in three sports his senior year (baseball, football, basketball). Gullett's legacy is remembered in a monument on the courthouse lawn in [[Greenup County, Kentucky]] that declares that "This is Don Gullett Country."<ref name="memory">{{cite web |last1=Kaiser |first1=Robert |title=Don Gullet's Spectacular Career Only a Memory |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-10-01-8901190102-story.html |website=chicagotribune.com |publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=October 7, 2018 |date=October 1, 1989}}</ref>


==Professional career==
==Professional career==
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===New York Yankees (1977–1978)===
===New York Yankees (1977–1978)===
Following the 1976 season, Gullett became a [[free agent]] and signed with the [[New York Yankees]], the month after his Reds had swept them in the World Series.<ref name=BCT181176/> His fourth start with New York came on a rainy day at [[Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)|Memorial Stadium]] in Baltimore on April 25. During the fourth inning, Gullett slipped and fell on the wet pitching mound, spraining his ankle and straining a muscle in his neck. The injury required him to wear a neck brace and miss some starts.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chass|first=Murray|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/04/26/archives/yanks-down-orioles-for-6th-in-row-jacksons-bat-helps-yankees-win.html|title=Yanks Down Orioles for 6th in Row|work=The New York Times|date=April 26, 1977|access-date=October 6, 2020}}</ref> In his return on May 7, he struck out 10 and threw 154 pitches in a complete game, 11–2 victory over the [[Oakland Athletics]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Montgomery|first=Paul L.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/08/archives/white-rivers-and-nettles-homer-yanks-romp-as-white-rivers-nettles.html?searchResultPosition=3|title=White, Rivers and Nettles Homer|work=The New York Times|date=May 8, 1977|access-date=October 6, 2020}}</ref> He had a 14–4 season with the Yankees in {{Baseball year|1977}}. Shoulder problems in {{Baseball year|1978}} signaled the end of his career at age 27. After sitting out the {{Baseball year|1979}} and {{Baseball year|1980}} seasons due to extensive shoulder and [[rotator cuff]] problems, the Yankees released Gullett after the 1980 season.<ref>https://www.newspapers.com/image/487582841/?terms=%22don%20gullett%22%20%20shoulder&match=1</ref>
Following the 1976 season, Gullett became a [[free agent]] and signed with the [[New York Yankees]], the month after his Reds had swept them in the World Series.<ref name=BCT181176/> His fourth start with New York came on a rainy day at [[Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)|Memorial Stadium]] in Baltimore on April 25. During the fourth inning, Gullett slipped and fell on the wet pitching mound, spraining his ankle and straining a muscle in his neck. The injury required him to wear a neck brace and miss some starts.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chass|first=Murray|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/04/26/archives/yanks-down-orioles-for-6th-in-row-jacksons-bat-helps-yankees-win.html|title=Yanks Down Orioles for 6th in Row|work=The New York Times|date=April 26, 1977|access-date=October 6, 2020}}</ref> In his return on May 7, he struck out 10 and threw 154 pitches in a complete game, 11–2 victory over the [[Oakland Athletics]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Montgomery|first=Paul L.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/08/archives/white-rivers-and-nettles-homer-yanks-romp-as-white-rivers-nettles.html?searchResultPosition=3|title=White, Rivers and Nettles Homer|work=The New York Times|date=May 8, 1977|access-date=October 6, 2020}}</ref> He had a 14–4 season with the Yankees in {{Baseball year|1977}}.
Shoulder problems in {{Baseball year|1978}} signaled the end of his career at age 27. After he sat out the {{Baseball year|1979}} and {{Baseball year|1980}} seasons due to extensive shoulder and [[rotator cuff]] problems, the Yankees released Gullett after the 1980 season.<ref>https://www.newspapers.com/image/487582841/?terms=%22don%20gullett%22%20%20shoulder&match=1</ref>


During a nine-year career, Gullett accumulated 109 wins and posted a 3.11 [[earned run average]] and tallied 921 strikeouts.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Don Gullett Statistics and History {{!}} Baseball-Reference.com|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gulledo01.shtml|website = Baseball-Reference.com|access-date = January 11, 2016}}</ref> Playing for only nine seasons, Gullett was a member of six World Series teams (1970, '72, '75, '76, '77, and '78), including four consecutive world champions ('75 and '76 Reds, and '77 and '78 Yankees). He was injured during the [[1978 World Series]] and, though on the Yankees' roster during that World Series, did not play.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Faber |first1=Charles |title=Don Gullett |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/don-gullett/ |website=Society for American Baseball Research |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>
During a nine-year career, Gullett accumulated 109 wins and posted a 3.11 [[earned run average]] and tallied 921 strikeouts.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Don Gullett Statistics and History {{!}} Baseball-Reference.com|url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gulledo01.shtml|website = Baseball-Reference.com|access-date = January 11, 2016}}</ref> Playing for only nine seasons, Gullett was a member of six World Series teams (1970, '72, '75, '76, '77, and '78), including four consecutive world champions ('75 and '76 Reds, and '77 and '78 Yankees). He was injured during the [[1978 World Series]] and, though on the Yankees' roster during that World Series, did not play.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Faber |first1=Charles |title=Don Gullett |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/don-gullett/ |website=Society for American Baseball Research |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>
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== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==
Gullett married his wife, Cathy, in 1969. The couple are parents of a son and two daughters.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Embry|first=Mike|date=September 26, 1989|title=DOWN ON THE FARM, EAGER FOR THE MAJORS|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1989/09/26/down-on-the-farm-eager-for-the-majors/77f67573-8de7-4cf7-ae5b-f1ad701c16c2/|access-date=July 15, 2021|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
Gullett married his wife, Cathy, in 1969. The couple were parents of a son and two daughters.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Embry|first=Mike|date=September 26, 1989|title=DOWN ON THE FARM, EAGER FOR THE MAJORS|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1989/09/26/down-on-the-farm-eager-for-the-majors/77f67573-8de7-4cf7-ae5b-f1ad701c16c2/|access-date=July 15, 2021|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>


Gullett resided at and owned a farm in his hometown of Lynn in [[Greenup County, Kentucky]]. [[Tobacco]] was the primary crop grown on the farm during the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-24-sp-558-story.html Embry, Mike. "Don Gullett Pitches for Own Farm Team," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Sunday, September 24, 1989.] Retrieved April 1, 2022.</ref> About 800 ''[[Cannabis]]'' plants being cultivated on his farmland were discovered by the [[Kentucky State Police]] on August 1, 1977.<ref name="redsmith770803w">[https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/03/archives/sounds-in-a-long-hot-summer.html Smith, Red. "Sounds in a Long, Hot Summer," ''The New York Times'', Wednesday, August 3, 1977.] Retrieved April 1, 2022.</ref> He denied any knowledge of the plants. The farmland's [[Property caretaker|caretaker]] was his brother Jack who was [[Indictment|indicted]] on a charge of [[Illegal drug trade|trafficking]] in a [[Cannabis (drug)|controlled substance]] the following month on September 30.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/04/archives/people-in-sports-nastases-behavior-results-in-ban-from-davis-cup.html Rogers, Thomas. "People in Sports," ''The New York Times'', Tuesday, October 4, 1977.] Retrieved April 1, 2022.</ref>
Gullett resided at and owned a farm in his hometown of Lynn in [[Greenup County, Kentucky]]. [[Tobacco]] was the primary crop grown on the farm during the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-24-sp-558-story.html Embry, Mike. "Don Gullett Pitches for Own Farm Team," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Sunday, September 24, 1989.] Retrieved April 1, 2022.</ref> About 800 ''[[Cannabis]]'' plants being cultivated on his farmland were discovered by the [[Kentucky State Police]] on August 1, 1977.<ref name="redsmith770803w">[https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/03/archives/sounds-in-a-long-hot-summer.html Smith, Red. "Sounds in a Long, Hot Summer," ''The New York Times'', Wednesday, August 3, 1977.] Retrieved April 1, 2022.</ref> He denied any knowledge of the plants. The farmland's [[Property caretaker|caretaker]] was his brother Jack, who was [[Indictment|indicted]] on a charge of [[Illegal drug trade|trafficking]] in a [[Cannabis (drug)|controlled substance]] the following month on September 30.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/04/archives/people-in-sports-nastases-behavior-results-in-ban-from-davis-cup.html Rogers, Thomas. "People in Sports," ''The New York Times'', Tuesday, October 4, 1977.] Retrieved April 1, 2022.</ref>


Gullett suffered a heart attack in 1986. He had been a [[cigarette smoker]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Gullett Remains Hospitalized After Suffering a Heart Attack |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-02-04-sp-4209-story.html |access-date=8 August 2023 |agency=Los Angeles Times |work=Los Angeles Times |date=4 February 1986}}</ref> He had another heart attack in 1990 and had [[triple bypass]] cardiac surgery in June of that year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Faber |first1=Charles |title=Don Gullett |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/don-gullett/#sdendnote13sym |website=Society for American Baseball Research |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Company|first=Tampa Publishing|title=Bad health still plagues Don Gullett|url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/06/21/bad-health-still-plagues-don-gullett/|access-date=July 15, 2021|website=Tampa Bay Times|language=en}}</ref>
Gullett suffered a heart attack in 1986. He had been a [[cigarette smoker]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Gullett Remains Hospitalized After Suffering a Heart Attack |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-02-04-sp-4209-story.html |access-date=8 August 2023 |agency=Los Angeles Times |work=Los Angeles Times |date=4 February 1986}}</ref> He had another heart attack in 1990 and had [[triple bypass]] cardiac surgery in June of that year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Faber |first1=Charles |title=Don Gullett |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/don-gullett/#sdendnote13sym |website=Society for American Baseball Research |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Company|first=Tampa Publishing|title=Bad health still plagues Don Gullett|url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/06/21/bad-health-still-plagues-don-gullett/|access-date=July 15, 2021|website=Tampa Bay Times|language=en}}</ref>

Revision as of 10:52, 15 February 2024

Don Gullett
Pitcher
Born: (1951-01-06)January 6, 1951
Lynn, Kentucky, U.S.
Died: February 14, 2024(2024-02-14) (aged 73)
Batted: Right
Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 10, 1970, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
July 9, 1978, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
Win–loss record109–50
Earned run average3.11
Strikeouts921
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Donald Edward Gullett (January 6, 1951 – February 14, 2024) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1970 through 1978. He was a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won four National League pennants and two World Series championships between 1970 and 1976. Gullett was also a member of the New York Yankees teams that won two consecutive World Series championships in 1977 and 1978.

After his playing career, Gullett served as pitching coach for the Reds from 1993 to 2005. In 2002, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

Early life

Gullett was born in Lynn, Kentucky, and attended McKell High School in South Shore, Kentucky, where he was an outstanding three-sports athlete in baseball, football, and basketball. He began to pitch while in eighth grade.[1] As a high school pitcher, he once tossed a perfect game—including striking out 20 of the 21 hitters he faced. Gullett excelled as a high school football player as well, once scoring 72 points in a single game. He ran for 11 touchdowns and kicked 6 extra points.[2] He was named all-state in three sports his senior year (baseball, football, basketball). Gullett's legacy is remembered in a monument on the courthouse lawn in Greenup County, Kentucky that declares that "This is Don Gullett Country."[3]

Professional career

Cincinnati Reds (1970–1976)

The Reds selected Gullett in the first round of the 1969 Major League Baseball draft.[4] He pitched for the Sioux Falls Packers of the Northern League that season.[5]

In 1970, Gullett impressed the Reds in spring training. Despite his inexperience, he made the big league roster of a team that would go on to win the NL pennant. Pitching in relief of starter Ray Washburn, Gullett debuted on April 10, 1970, on the road against the San Francisco Giants.[6] In his rookie season, Gullett appeared in 44 games (42 in relief) posting a 5–2 record and a 2.43 earned run average. In the 1970 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles, Gullett pitched 6+2⁄3 innings and allowed just one earned run (1.35 earned run average) as he and veteran Clay Carroll helped keep an injury-riddled pitching staff competitive in the series.[7] During the 1972 season Gullett suffered from hepatitis. That season turned out to be the only one in which he had a losing record.[8]

Gullett was the pitcher when Willie Mays hit the 660th and last home run of his Major League Baseball career on August 17, 1973.[9] Gullett also surrendered Hank Aaron's 660th home run on August 6, 1972.[10] He went 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched in July 1974, winning the National League Player of the Month Award.[11] In a 1975 National League Championship Series game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Gullett pitched a complete game and hit a single and home run, collecting three runs batted in.[12]

New York Yankees (1977–1978)

Following the 1976 season, Gullett became a free agent and signed with the New York Yankees, the month after his Reds had swept them in the World Series.[13] His fourth start with New York came on a rainy day at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore on April 25. During the fourth inning, Gullett slipped and fell on the wet pitching mound, spraining his ankle and straining a muscle in his neck. The injury required him to wear a neck brace and miss some starts.[14] In his return on May 7, he struck out 10 and threw 154 pitches in a complete game, 11–2 victory over the Oakland Athletics.[15] He had a 14–4 season with the Yankees in 1977.

Shoulder problems in 1978 signaled the end of his career at age 27. After he sat out the 1979 and 1980 seasons due to extensive shoulder and rotator cuff problems, the Yankees released Gullett after the 1980 season.[16]

During a nine-year career, Gullett accumulated 109 wins and posted a 3.11 earned run average and tallied 921 strikeouts.[17] Playing for only nine seasons, Gullett was a member of six World Series teams (1970, '72, '75, '76, '77, and '78), including four consecutive world champions ('75 and '76 Reds, and '77 and '78 Yankees). He was injured during the 1978 World Series and, though on the Yankees' roster during that World Series, did not play.[18]

Later baseball career

In 1989, Gullett played for the St. Lucie Legends of the Senior Professional Baseball Association.[19]

In 1993, Gullett rejoined the Reds as pitching coach. He held the position until being fired mid-season in 2005.[20]

Gullett was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2002.[21]

Personal life

Gullett married his wife, Cathy, in 1969. The couple were parents of a son and two daughters.[22]

Gullett resided at and owned a farm in his hometown of Lynn in Greenup County, Kentucky. Tobacco was the primary crop grown on the farm during the 1970s and 1980s.[23] About 800 Cannabis plants being cultivated on his farmland were discovered by the Kentucky State Police on August 1, 1977.[24] He denied any knowledge of the plants. The farmland's caretaker was his brother Jack, who was indicted on a charge of trafficking in a controlled substance the following month on September 30.[25]

Gullett suffered a heart attack in 1986. He had been a cigarette smoker.[26] He had another heart attack in 1990 and had triple bypass cardiac surgery in June of that year.[27][28]

Gullett died on February 14, 2024, at the age of 73.[29]

References

  1. ^ Hunter, Al. "Unlucky Don Gullett's Lucky Decade". The Weekly View. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  2. ^ Kaiser, Robert (October 1, 1989). "Don Gullett's Spectacular Career Only a Memory". Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  3. ^ Kaiser, Robert (October 1, 1989). "Don Gullet's Spectacular Career Only a Memory". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  4. ^ Reading Eagle (June 6, 1969) "California Outfielder Picked First in Draft" Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  5. ^ "The Spokesman-Review 01 Oct 1989, page 75". Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/image/763565894/?terms=washburn&match=2
  7. ^ The Deseret News (April 17, 1970) "Gullet Relieves, Wins Baseball Debut" Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  8. ^ Newspapers, Robert Kaiser, Knight-Ridder (October 1989). "DON GULLETT'S SPECTACULAR CAREER ONLY A MEMORY". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved July 15, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Waldstein, David (April 22, 2015). "On the Night Willie Mays Hit No. 660, It Was Just Another Number". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  10. ^ Inabinett, Mark (April 8, 2015). "Beyond 715: Hank Aaron's most famous home run plus nine other memorable round-trippers". Advance Local. AL.com. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  11. ^ "The South Bend Tribune 07 Aug 1974, page 43". Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "The Times Recorder 05 Oct 1975, page 12". Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Beaver County Times (November 18, 1976) "Gullet Yankees' Latest Millionaire" Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  14. ^ Chass, Murray (April 26, 1977). "Yanks Down Orioles for 6th in Row". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  15. ^ Montgomery, Paul L. (May 8, 1977). "White, Rivers and Nettles Homer". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  16. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/image/487582841/?terms=%22don%20gullett%22%20%20shoulder&match=1
  17. ^ "Don Gullett Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  18. ^ Faber, Charles. "Don Gullett". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "The Stuart News 09 Aug 1989, page 21". Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Last-place Reds fire manager Miley". June 21, 2005.
  21. ^ "The Cincinnati Enquirer 21 Jul 2002, page Page 32". Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Embry, Mike (September 26, 1989). "DOWN ON THE FARM, EAGER FOR THE MAJORS". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  23. ^ Embry, Mike. "Don Gullett Pitches for Own Farm Team," The Associated Press (AP), Sunday, September 24, 1989. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  24. ^ Smith, Red. "Sounds in a Long, Hot Summer," The New York Times, Wednesday, August 3, 1977. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  25. ^ Rogers, Thomas. "People in Sports," The New York Times, Tuesday, October 4, 1977. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  26. ^ "Gullett Remains Hospitalized After Suffering a Heart Attack". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. February 4, 1986. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  27. ^ Faber, Charles. "Don Gullett". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  28. ^ Company, Tampa Publishing. "Bad health still plagues Don Gullett". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 15, 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  29. ^ "Reds Hall of Fame pitcher Gullett passes away at age 73". local12.com.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by National League Player of the Month
July 1974 		Succeeded by
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