Gary Thomas DiSarcina (born November 19, 1967) is an American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...
and third base coach for the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB). He played his entire career for the
California / Anaheim Angels.
Shortstop for Angels (1992–98)
A former
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...
who stood tall and weighed , DiSarcina was raised in
Billerica, Massachusetts, and attended the
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...
. In 1987, he played
collegiate summer baseball with the
Harwich Mariners
The Harwich Mariners are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Harwich, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Mariners play their home games at Whitehouse Fiel ...
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted by the
California Angels in the sixth round of the
1988 Major League Baseball draft.
After brief Major League trials from 1989–91, DiSarcina replaced
Dick Schofield as the Angels' regular shortstop in and held the job through . He was selected to the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
All-Star team in , a
strike-shortened year when he
batted a career-high .307 in 99
games played. He missed six weeks of action during that season, from August 4 through September 18, after sustaining a torn ligament in his thumb.
["Of Witches, Hexes, and Plain Bad Luck: The Reputed Curse of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim "](_blank)
SABR
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...
In , his finest all-around season, he was voted the Angels' team MVP. That year, in 157 games played, DiSarcina reached career highs in
hits (158) and
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...
(56), while batting .287. But it was his last full season as a player; his career, hampered by injuries — including a broken arm that cost him half of the season
— wound down during the next two years. He played only 12 games in and was out of baseball in 2001 before attempting a final comeback in 2002 in the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
organization with the
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...
.
All told, DiSarcina played in 1,086 Major League games, all with the Angels; his 966 hits included 186
doubles, 20
triples and 28
home runs.
DiSarcina wore several numbers over the course of his career. He wore the number 4 during his first season. He changed to number 11, then to number 33 (in tribute to
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...
), and finally to number 9 for his remaining four seasons.
A DiSarcina fly ball was caught by
Texas Ranger Rusty Greer
Thurman Clyde "Rusty" Greer III (born January 21, 1969) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Texas Rangers. He most recently worked for Texas Wesleyan University serving as the Assistant Head Coach under former teammate ...
for the final out of
Kenny Rogers' perfect game
On Thursday, July 28, 1994, Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers pitched the 14th perfect game in Major League Baseball history, blanking the California Angels 4–0 at The Ballpark at Arlington. Needing 98 pitches to complete his masterpiece, Roge ...
on July 28, 1994.
Minor league manager, MLB executive
After DiSarcina's playing career ended, he was associated with the Red Sox for several seasons, as baseball operations consultant to the team's front office, an in-studio analyst for the
New England Sports Network,
minor league manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
and instructor. He skippered the
Lowell Spinners
The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major League ...
of the Short Season-A
New York–Penn League
The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
for three above-.500 seasons (2007–09) and served as the Red Sox' minor league infield instruction coordinator in 2010. DiSarcina was also the third base coach for
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in the 2006
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...
.
In 2011–12, he returned to the Angels as an assistant to
general managers Tony Reagins
Tony Demetrius Reagins (born March 11, 1967) is a former executive in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Reagins served as the general manager of the Angels from 2007 until his 2011 resignation. The fourth African Americ ...
and
Jerry Dipoto
Gerard Peter Dipoto (born May 24, 1968) is an American baseball executive and former professional player. He is currently the President of Baseball Operations for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball and previously worked in front office ...
, and also held the post of field coordinator of player instruction in the club's
farm system.
He then came back to the Red Sox organization for one season — — as manager of the
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...
, Boston's
Triple-A minor league affiliate. During 2013, he led the PawSox to a first-place finish in the IL North Division with an 80–63
record and into the finals of the
Governors' Cup championship, before his club fell to the
Durham Bulls
The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...
. For his efforts, he was selected 2013 Minor League Manager of the Year by ''
Baseball America''. DiSarcina's four-year managerial record through 2013 is 205–162 (.559).
Coaching career
DiSarcina's success at Pawtucket earned him a Major League managerial interview for the opening with the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
(who would hire
Lloyd McClendon
Lloyd Glenn McClendon (born January 11, 1959) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1987 to 1994 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners and the ...
). On November 5, 2013, he joined the 2014 staff of Angels' manager
Mike Scioscia
Michael Lorri Scioscia (, ; born November 27, 1958), nicknamed "Sosh" and "El Jefe", is an American former Major League Baseball catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim / Los Ang ...
, taking over the third-base coach's job from
Dino Ebel
Dino Alex Ebel (born March 20, 1966) is an American former professional baseball player and current coach. He is currently the third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as the baseball mana ...
, promoted to bench coach. After two seasons at third base, DiSarcina was shifted across the diamond to coach first base when
Ron Roenicke
Ronald Jon Roenicke ( ; born August 19, 1956) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, coach, and manager. During his playing career, Roenicke played eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle ...
rejoined Scioscia's staff for after a five-year absence.
On November 11, 2016, the Red Sox announced that DiSarcina would return to the Boston organization for a third time, as the 2017 bench coach on the MLB staff of manager
John Farrell.
In that role, he succeeded
Torey Lovullo
Salvatore Anthony "Torey" Lovullo ( ; born July 25, 1965) is an American professional baseball manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB), appointed November 4, 2016.
Lovullo served as the first base coach for the Toron ...
, who departed on November 4 to become manager of the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
. DiSarcina served one season in that post, until Farrell's firing two days after Boston fell in the
American League Division Series
In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...
. On November 5, 2017, DiSarcina took over as the 2018 bench coach of the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
on the staff of new manager
Mickey Callaway
Michael Christopher Callaway (born May 13, 1975) is an American professional baseball coach and former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Anaheim Angels, and Texas Rangers and in the KBO Leagu ...
. After one year as bench coach, he was reassigned to become the Mets' 2019 third-base coach.
On November 2, 2021, the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
hired DiSarcina to be their 3rd base coach for the 2022 season.
See also
*
References
External links
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Disarcina, Gary
1967 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American League All-Stars
Anaheim Angels players
Baseball coaches from Massachusetts
Baseball players from Massachusetts
Bend Bucks players
Boston Red Sox coaches
California Angels players
Edmonton Trappers players
Erie SeaWolves players
Harwich Mariners players
Lake Elsinore Storm players
Los Angeles Angels coaches
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim coaches
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim executives
Lowell Spinners managers
Major League Baseball bench coaches
Major League Baseball first base coaches
Major League Baseball shortstops
Major League Baseball third base coaches
Midland Angels players
New York Mets coaches
Pawtucket Red Sox managers
Pawtucket Red Sox players
People from Billerica, Massachusetts
Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Sportspeople from Malden, Massachusetts
UMass Minutemen baseball players
University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni