Lefty Gomez
Years before Joe DiMaggio was signed by the Yankees out of San Francisco, the Bay Area produced Vernon Louis Gomez, a talented and colorful left-handed hurler. "Lefty" starred for the Yankees during the 1930s and early 1940s, teaming with Red Ruffing to form one of the best pitching duos in baseball history. Gomez posted a 6-0 record in the Fall Classic, winning five rings with the Yankees. Originally a hard thrower, Gomez suffered arm injuries in 1933, 1936 and 1939, eventually re-tooling himself as a finesse pitcher. He enjoyed a 165-89 record for the Yankees for the decade of the 1930s, finishing in the top ten in MVP voting three times.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 368 |
904 |
133 |
59 |
0 |
58 |
1 |
.147 |
.159 |
.194 |
.353 |
47.4 |
|
Best Season: 1937
Gomez won the pitching triple crown in 1937 and 1934, but we chose '37 because that season the Yanks won the pennant. He won 26 games with a 2.33 ERA, and 194 strikeouts. He also twirled six shutouts.
Factoids
Lefty Gomez started the first All-Star Game, in 1933 in Chicago. He entered the record books when he plated the first runs in All-Star Game history, delivering an RBI-single.
Most Wins, MLB (1930-1939)
Lefty Grove... 199
Carl Hubbell... 188
Red Ruffing... 175
Wes Ferrell... 170
Lefty Gomez... 165
Comp ERA*, MLB (1930-1939) *min. 1,500 IP
Grove... 157.3
Hubbell... 146.7
Gomez... 141.4
Dizzy Dean... 134.6
Ruffing... 127.9
*Comp ERA = percentage below league ERA. For example, Grove's mark of 157.3 means his ERA for the 1930s was 57.3% better than the rest of his league.
Gomez Finally Weds Miss O'Dea
From TSN, March 2, 1933:
"Gomez Finally Weds Miss O'Dea
Vernon Gomez, left-handed pitcher of the New York Yankees, and Miss June O'Dea, a musical comedy actress, were married at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in New York City, N.Y., February 26. The ceremony had been reported about to take place various times since the season closed, but for some reason always was postponed. They finally set February 26 for the date, but nearly had to postpone it then, because the bride forgot to have her birth certificate handy when the license was requested. This detail was straightened out in time, however. There will be no honeymoon for awhile, as the new Mrs. Gomez had to return to her theatrical company in Philadelphia, and Lefty was called to St. Petersburg, Fla., to begin spring training. Mrs. Gomez plans to join him there later, however.
Description
"Vernon Gomez, the ace pitcher of the New York Yankees, was so anemic that he had to spend the winter on a health farm to build up his stamina in order to stand the strain of a big league season, yet he showed such wizadry in tossing curves the past summer that he was the leading hurler of the New York Americans this year. Out on the ball field he looks as if a puff of wind would blow him away, but he has often stopped fierce batting rallies and has humbled many a heavy slugger before his shoots." — The Sporting News, Nov. 5, 1931
Where He Played
Starting pitcher
Born
Vernon Louis Gomez was born on November 26, 1908, in Rodeo, CA.
Died
February 17, 1989, Greenbrae, CA
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Major League Debut
4 29,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1930
Luke Appling
Joe Kuhel
Pinky Higgins
Ben Chapman
Hank Greenberg
Lon Warneke
Tommy Bridges
Lefty Gomez
Dizzy Dean
Nicknames
Goofy
Gomez earned the tag "Goofy" for his wacky personality.
Uniform Numbers
#22 (1930), #20 (1931) #11 (1932-1942), unknown (1943)
Similar Players
Allie Reynolds, a left-handed Yankees' pitcher from another era... Frank Tanana was another lefty who started his career as a hard thrower and lasted several years as a finesse pitcher after arm injuries.
Related Players
Red Ruffing and Gomez combined for one of the longest running lefty/righty pitching combinations in baseball history... Gomez's best friend on the Yankees was Joe DiMaggio, who was almost his polar opposite off the field.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1945 |
BBWAA |
7 |
2.8% |
1946 |
Nominating Vote |
4 |
2.0% |
1947 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.6% |
1948 |
BBWAA |
16 |
13.2% |
1949 |
BBWAA |
17 |
11.1% |
1950 |
BBWAA |
18 |
10.7% |
1951 |
BBWAA |
23 |
10.2% |
1952 |
BBWAA |
29 |
12.4% |
1953 |
BBWAA |
35 |
13.3% |
1954 |
BBWAA |
38 |
15.1% |
1955 |
BBWAA |
71 |
28.3% |
1956 |
BBWAA |
89 |
46.1% |
1958 |
BBWAA |
76 |
28.6% |
1960 |
BBWAA |
51 |
19.0% |
1962 |
BBWAA |
20 |
12.5% |
1972 |
Veterans |
|
% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1932 World Series
1936 World Series
1937 World Series
1938 World Series
1939 World Series
Awards and Honors
1934 AL Triple Crown
1937 AL Triple Crown
Transactions
January 25, 1943: Purchased by the Boston Braves from the New York Yankees.
All-Star Selections
1933 AL
1934 AL
1935 AL
1936 AL
1937 AL
1938 AL
1939 AL
Replaced
Ed Wells, in the 1931 Yanks' rotation.
Replaced By
Right-hander Hank Borowy, a rookie on the 1942 Yankees.
Best Strength as a Player
His ability to perform in the post-season.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Gomez was a horrid hitter. In more than 900 career regular season at-bats, he collected just 11 extra-base hits (all doubles).
Learn More about Lefty Gomez
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