Gary Thomasson
| Gary Thomasson | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder / First baseman | |
| Born: July 29, 1951 San Diego, California | |
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 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
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.
A significant trade on March 15, 1978, sent Thomasson to the Oakland A's along with Gary Alexander, Dave Heaverlo, Phil Huffman, John Henry Johnson, Alan Wirth, a player to be named later (Mario Guerrero), and $300,000, in exchange for All-Star pitcher Vida Blue.
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, 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.[3]
Tokyo writer and conceptual artist Genpei Akasegawa published a book containing photographs of found objects which he termed "Hyperart Thomasson".[4] The book enjoyed a cult following among late-1980s Japanese youth.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ Gary Thomasson http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thomaga01.shtml
- ^ Tuesday, September 5, 1972, 7:30PM , San Diego Stadium http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN197209050.shtml
- ^ [1]
- ^ Akasegawa, Genpei (2009). Hyperart: Thomasson. Kaya Press. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
External links
- Career statistics 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 California
- Sportspeople from San Diego
- Arizona Instructional League Giants players
- Great Falls Giants players
- Decatur Commodores players
- Amarillo Giants players
- Phoenix Giants players