Jim Gosger

James Charles Gosger (born November 6, 1942 in Port Huron, Michigan) is a former utility outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for six different teams between 1963 and 1974. Listed at 5' 11", 185 lb., he batted and threw left-handed.

Basically a contact, line-drive hitter, Gosger was a fine reserve outfielder with a strong throwing arm, appearing in 555 games at center field (291), left (216) and right (83), and eventually as a first baseman (25).

Gosger entered the majors in 1963 with the Boston Red Sox, playing for them two and a half years before joining the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1966-68), Seattle Pilots (1969), New York Mets (1969), Montreal Expos (1970-71), and again with the Mets (1973-74). His most productive season came in 1967 with Kansas City, when he posted career-highs in games (134), home runs (7) and hits (86), while hitting .242 with 36 RBI.

In a 10-season career, Gosger was a .226 hitter with 30 home runs and 177 RBI in 705 games (411-for-1815), including 67 doubles, 16 triples, and 25 stolen bases.

Facts

*An original Seattle Pilot, he was also on both the 1969 and 1973 National League champions Mets.
*Made slightly infamous by Jim Bouton in his book "Ball Four" for muttering the words "Yeah, sure".

ee also

*Boston Red Sox all-time roster
*1969 Seattle Pilots season
*Satchel Paige

ources

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/g/gosgeji01.shtml Baseball Reference]