Gregory Scott Booker (June 22, 1960 – March 30, 2019) was a

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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He pitched in all or part of eight seasons in

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), ...

, from 1983 until 1990. Booker's best season was probably in 1987. He made 44 appearances (all in relief) posting a very respectable 3.16 ERA, won 1 game and picked up his only career save on May 10, 1987, against the Cubs. Amazingly, it came in a game that the Padres won by the lopsided score of 14–2. Booker pitched the final 3 innings to preserve the win for starting pitcher Ed Whitson. He also served as a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

from 1997 until 2003, the first four years as bullpen coach, then a season-plus as pitching coach. He was a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. Booker's widow, Kristi, is the daughter of long-time major league manager

Jack McKeon Jack Aloysius McKeon (; born November 23, 1930), nicknamed "Trader Jack," is an American former Major League Baseball manager and front-office executive. In , at age 72, he won a World Series as manager of the Florida Marlins. Two full seasons ...

. His son Zach Booker was a

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

from 2007 until 2011. In 2022 he was hired on as head baseball coach for the D3 Guilford Quakers. His son Avery was the head baseball coach for Greensboro College in Greensboro, NC On June 29, 1989, McKeon, often called "Trader Jack", traded his own son-in-law to the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

for pitcher

Freddie Toliver Freddie Lee Toliver (born February 3, 1961), is former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). Freddie ...

. He died of

melanoma Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...

on March 30, 2019.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Booker, Greg 1960 births 2019 deaths Baseball players from Virginia Colorado Rockies scouts Deaths from cancer in North Carolina Deaths from melanoma Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Los Angeles Dodgers scouts Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Minnesota Twins players Phoenix Firebirds players Portland Beavers players Reno Padres players San Diego Padres coaches San Diego Padres players San Francisco Giants players Walla Walla Padres players Syracuse Chiefs coaches Sportspeople from Lynchburg, Virginia