- Garth Iorg
Garth Ray Iorg (born
October 12 ,1954 inArcata, California ) is a formerMajor League Baseball player who played his entire career (1978-1987) for theToronto Blue Jays . He is currently the interim third-base coach for theMilwaukee Brewers .After attending
College of the Redwoods , Iorg was selected by the Blue Jays from theNew York Yankees organization in the 1976 expansion draft. He made his debut onApril 9 ,1978 . [http://www.baseball-reference.com/i/iorgga01.shtml]Iorg was a solid utility player who spent most of his career as the right-handed half of a third-base platoon with
Rance Mulliniks . During his major league career, he also appeared at 2B, 1B, SS, DH and OF. Although he was an emergency catcher, he never played this position at the major league level. After he retired, he playedshortstop for theBradenton Explorers in theSenior Professional Baseball Association .Iorg was most recognizable for his strange batting stance, on the toes of his front foot and leaning back toward the
catcher as the ball was being pitched. Usually a singles hitter, Iorg hit well enough to have the highestbatting average (.313) on the Blue Jays in their division-winning 1985 season, along with a .469slugging percentage . In his final major league plate appearance, Iorg madeToronto 's last out of the 1987 season when a hit would have tied the Blue Jays withDetroit Tigers for theAmerican League East title. In fairness, the Jays collapsed during the last two weeks of the season, losing their last seven games. At the time of his retirement, Iorg was the Blue Jays's career leader inpinch hit s. [http://www.baseball-reference.com/i/iorgga01.shtml]Garth is the brother of
Dane Iorg , another former Major League Baseball player.Garth is the father of three sons who either play professional baseball or have been drafted into professional baseball. His daughter also played NCAA softball. He is also the founder of the
Yard Baseball School in Knoxville, TN.Sporting Biographical Data
*Draft: 1973:8th Round (181st)
*First Game: 04-09-1978
*Last Game: 10-04-1987
*Bats : Right
*Throws : Right
*Height : 5-11
*Weight : 170Career Batting Stats
Career G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB SO SH SF HBP GIDP AVG OBP SLG 9 yrs 931 2,450 251 633 125 16 20 238 114 9 298 21 19 11 55 .258 .292 .347
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