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Lefty Gomez
Starting Pitcher
Born: November 26, 1908
Died: February 17, 1989 (aged 80)
Batted: Left	Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 29, 1930 for the New York Yankees
Final game
May 23, 1943 for the Washington Senators
Career statistics
Win-Loss	189-102
ERA	3.34
Strikeouts	1468
Teams
New York Yankees (1930-1942) Washington Senators (1943)
Career highlights and awards
All-star from 1933-1939 1934 and 1937 AL Pitching Triple Crown Led AL in ERA in 1934 and 1937 with 2.33 Led AL in wins in 1934 with 26 and 1937 with 21 Led AL in strikeouts in 1933, 1934, and 1937 Led AL in innings pitched in 1934 with 281.7 Led AL in complete games in 1934 with 25 Led AL in shutouts in 1934, 1937, and 1938
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Elected	1972
Election Method	Veteran's Committee

Vernon Louis Gomez (November 26, 1908–February 17, 1989) was an American baseball player of Mexican descent.^[1] He was a left-handed major league pitcher who played in the American League for the New York Yankees between 1930 and 1942. He was born in Rodeo, California.

In his career, almost entirely spent with the Yankees, he had a 189-102 record with 1468 strikeouts and a 3.34 ERA in 2503 innings pitched. His contract was sold to the Boston Braves in 1943. Released by the Braves that year without appearing in a game, Gomez signed with the Washington Senators, but pitched only one game before being released to end his career. Also known for his great wit, Gomez was known for saying, "I'd rather be lucky than good."

Contents 1 Baseball career 2 After baseball 3 See also 4 Footnotes 5 External links

A 20-game winner four times and an All-Star every year from 1933 to 1939, Gomez led the league twice each in wins, winning percentage and ERA, and three times each in shutouts and strikeouts. In both 1934 and 1937, he won pitching's "Triple Crown" by leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts; he also led the AL both seasons in shutouts. His .649 career winning percentage ranks 15th in major league history among pitchers with 200 or more decisions; and among pitchers who made their ML debut from 1900-1950, only Lefty Grove, Christy Mathewson and Whitey Ford have both more victories and a higher winning percentage than Gomez.

Gomez set a pair of World Series records: winning six games without a loss (1932-1, 1936-2, 1937-2, 1938-1); and most walks received by a batter in the same inning (6th, on October 6, 1937).

In the historic first major league All-Star Game (July 6, 1933), Gomez not only was the winning pitcher for the American League, but also drove in the first run of the game. This was out of character for him, as he was, even by the standards of pitchers, notorious for poor hitting. "I never broke a bat until I was 73 years old," he said. "And that was from backing the car out of the garage."

In one game, he came up to bat when it was slightly foggy. Bob Feller was on the mound and Gomez struck a match before stepping into the batter's box. "What's the big idea?" growled the umpire. "Do you think that match will help you see Feller's fast one?" "No, I'm not concerned about that," Lefty said. "I just want to make sure he can see me!"

Another example of Gomez' quick wit came with a group of reporters. Noted for his accurate and frequent brushback pitches (also known as "throwing" at the hitter), one of the reporters asked Gomez- "Is it true that you'd throw at your own mother." Gomez replied- "you're damn right I would, she's a good hitter."

In another game, in 1937, he tried the patience of Tony Lazzeri, who had been lauded recently in the newspapers as a heads-up player, as well as that of his manager Joe McCarthy. Lefty was on the mound when a batter hit a grounder back to him; instead of throwing to Frank Crosetti at shortstop, to start a double play, he threw to second-baseman Lazzeri, who caught the ball in self defense. "why the hell did you throw the ball to me?" Tony asked. "Tony," Gomez answered, "All I've been hearing is what a smart player you are. I just wanted to see what you would do with the ball if you got it when you didn't expect it." Joe McCarthy stomped to the mound, fuming mad. "What's the big idea of throwing to Lazzeri?" he demanded. With a straight face, Lefty said, "I forgot which Italian to throw to. With Crosetti at short and Lazzeri at second, I couldn't think of which Italian to throw to." McCarthy angrily pointed to center field and said, "It's lucky you didn't see Joe DiMaggio!"

In retirement, Gomez became a sought-after dinner speaker known for his humorous anecdotes about his playing days and the personalities he knew. He was a bit of a screwball, nicknamed "El Goofy", and delighted in playing practical jokes on everyone from team mates to umpires. He once stopped a World Series game to watch an airplane fly overhead. He came up with the idea of a revolving goldfish bowl to make life easier for older goldfish. Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1972. On February 2, 1972, the Veterans Committee inducted Lefty Gomez into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Wearing a Yankee cap, Gomez became the 2nd Hispanic player (of Hispanic decent) to be inducted.

On August 2, 1987, he and Whitey Ford were honored with plaques to be placed in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. Gomez's plaque says he was "Noted for his wit and his fastball, as he was fast with a quip and a pitch." Despite advancing age, he was able to attend the ceremony. Although he was honored with the plaque, his uniform #11 has not been retired, and has since been worn by Joe Page, Johnny Sain, Hector Lopez, Fred Stanley, Dwight Gooden, Chuck Knoblauch, Gary Sheffield and Doug Mientkiewicz. In 1999, he ranked #73 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

• List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
• Triple Crown
• List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
• List of Major League Baseball wins champions
• Major League Baseball titles leaders

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• baseballhalloffame.org – Hall of Fame biography page
• cmgww.com Official Website

Accomplishments

Preceded by Red Ruffing Tommy Bridges American League Strikeout Champion 1933-1934 1937 Succeeded by Tommy Bridges Bob Feller Preceded by Lefty Grove American League Pitching Triple Crown 1934 & 1937 Succeeded by Bob Feller Preceded by Mel Harder Lefty Grove American League ERA Champion 1934 1937 Succeeded by Lefty Grove Lefty Grove Preceded by Crowder & Grove Tommy Bridges American League Wins Champion 1934 1937 Succeeded by Wes Ferrell Red Ruffing

v • d • e New York Yankees
The Bronx, New York City, New York
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Rivalries	Yankees-Red Sox rivalry • Subway Series • Yankees-Mets rivalry • Yankees-Dodgers rivalry
Important Figures	Jacob Ruppert • Jack Chesbro • Miller Huggins • Babe Ruth • Lou Gehrig • Joe DiMaggio • Red Ruffing • Waite Hoyt • Phil Rizzuto • Herb Pennock • Bill Dickey • Allie Reynolds • Vic Raschi • Tony Lazzeri • Don Larsen • Earle Combs • Lefty Gomez • Casey Stengel • Joe McCarthy • Yogi Berra • Whitey Ford • Mickey Mantle • Roger Maris • Bobby Richardson • Elston Howard • Joe Pepitone • George Steinbrenner • Roy White • Billy Martin • Thurman Munson • Willie Randolph • Bobby Murcer • Moose Skowron • Ron Guidry • Graig Nettles • Reggie Jackson • Dave Winfield • Rich Gossage • Don Mattingly • Dave Righetti • Joe Torre • Paul O'Neill • Bernie Williams • Andy Pettitte • Jorge Posada • Derek Jeter • Mariano Rivera • Roger Clemens • David Wells • Scott Brosius • David Cone • Aaron Boone • Alex Rodriguez • Hank Steinbrenner
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Key Personnel	Owner: George Steinbrenner • General Manager: Brian Cashman • Manager: Joe Girardi
World Series Championships (26)	1923 • 1927 • 1928 • 1932 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 • 1941 • 1943 • 1947 • 1949 • 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1956 • 1958 • 1961 • 1962 • 1977 • 1978 • 1996 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000
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Minor League Affiliates	Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (AAA) • Trenton Thunder (AA) • Tampa Yankees (A) • Charleston RiverDogs (A) • Staten Island Yankees (A) • Gulf Coast Yankees (Rookie)
Other Assets	YES Network • Yankee Global Enterprises LLC

v • d • e New York Yankees 1932 World Series roster

1 Earle Combs | 2 Lyn Lary | 3 Babe Ruth | 4 Lou Gehrig | 5 Frankie Crosetti | 6 Ben Chapman | 7 Jack Saltzgaver | 8 Bill Dickey | 9 Art Jorgens | 10 George Pipgras | 11 Lefty Gomez | 12 Herb Pennock | 14 Ed Wells | 15 Red Ruffing | 17 Danny MacFayden| 18 Johnny Allen | 20 Charlie Devens | 20 Johnny Murphy | 21 Joe Sewell | 22 Doc Farrell | 23 Tony Lazzeri | 24 Sammy Byrd | 26 Joe Glenn | 27 Myril Hoag | 28 Ivy Andrews | 32 Dusty Cooke | 32 Eddie Phillips | - Roy Schalk Manager Joe McCarthy

v • d • e New York Yankees 1936 World Series roster
1 Roy Johnson | 2 Red Rolfe | 3 George Selkirk | 4 Lou Gehrig | 5 Frankie Crosetti | 6 Tony Lazzeri | 7 Jake Powell | 8 Bill Dickey | 9 Joe DiMaggio | 11 Lefty Gomez | 14 Bump Hadley | 15 Red Ruffing | 16 Monte Pearson | 19 Johnny Murphy | 21 Pat Malone | 22 Bob Seeds Manager Joe McCarthy

v • d • e New York Yankees 1937 World Series roster
1 Frankie Crosetti | 2 Red Rolfe | 3 George Selkirk | 4 Lou Gehrig | 5 Joe DiMaggio | 6 Tony Lazzeri | 7 Jake Powell | 8 Bill Dickey | 9 Myril Hoag | 11 Lefty Gomez | 14 Bump Hadley | 15 Red Ruffing | 16 Monte Pearson | 19 Johnny Murphy | 24 Ivy Andrews | 25 Kemp Wicker Manager Joe McCarthy

v • d • e New York Yankees 1938 World Series roster
1 Frankie Crosetti | 2 Red Rolfe | 3 George Selkirk | 4 Lou Gehrig | 5 Joe DiMaggio | 6 Joe Gordon | 7 Jake Powell | 8 Bill Dickey | 9 Myril Hoag | 11 Lefty Gomez | 15 Red Ruffing | 16 Monte Pearson | 17 Tommy Henrich | 19 Johnny Murphy Manager Joe McCarthy

v • d • e New York Yankees 1939 World Series roster
1 Frankie Crosetti | 2 Red Rolfe | 3 George Selkirk | 5 Joe DiMaggio | 6 Joe Gordon | 8 Bill Dickey | 9 Charlie Keller | 11 Lefty Gomez | 12 Babe Dahlgren | 14 Bump Hadley | 15 Red Ruffing | 16 Monte Pearson | 19 Johnny Murphy | 20 Oral Hildebrand | 32 Steve Sundra Manager Joe McCarthy