Guerrant McCurdy "Mac" Scarce (born April 8, 1949) 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 ...
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...
, who played in parts of five
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) seasons from –. During his short career, the
left-hander pitched for the
Philadelphia Phillies,
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 ...
, and
Minnesota Twins. He attended
John Randolph Tucker High School
John Randolph Tucker High School is a public high school in the West End of Henrico County, Virginia, United States. It is named after lawyer and judge John Randolph Tucker. Its students and faculty often refer to themselves as “Tigers," and lo ...
in Henrico County, Virginia and finished his collegiate career at
Florida State University (FSU).
Draft
Scarce, who batted and threw left-handed, was initially drafted by the
Cincinnati Reds in the twenty-sixth round of the
1969 amateur draft, but elected not to sign. In
1971, Scarce was the Phillies’ eighth round selection (179 overall), subsequently signing on June 11, 1971.
College and minor league career
Scarce first played college baseball for
Manatee Junior College, in 1968 and 1969. He then transferred to FSU, pitching for the Seminoles in 1970 and 1971. Scarce was used as a relief pitcher, enjoying considerable success at the collegiate level, while racking up 30
saves (SV) over the two seasons. In 1970, he allowed only 13
hits in 33
innings, a school record. These achievements contributed significantly to the team’s being able to advance to the national title game of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
(NCAA)
College World Series
The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...
(CWS), where they were defeated by
USC, 2–1. (See
1970 NCAA University Division baseball tournament.) In 1971, the lanky lefty was the squad’s co-captain, recording 18 saves — which stood as the NCAA single-season record for some time.
Scarce advanced very rapidly and successfully through
Minor League Baseball (MiLB). He spent part of the 1971 season with the
Peninsula Phillies
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on al ...
, in the
A+ Carolina League
The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...
, where he appeared in 20 games, compiling a 3–0
win–loss (W–L) record, and a 1.29
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA). In 1972, Scarce pitched for the
Reading Phillies
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
in the
AA Eastern League, going 4–0 with a 0.46 ERA in 23 games. That same year, following a brief stint with the
AAA
AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to:
Airports
* Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA)
* Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA)
Arts, entertainment, and me ...
Eugene Emeralds
The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays thei ...
, the parent-club Phillies sent for him.
Major league career
On July 10, 1972, at the age of 23, Scarce made his major league debut. He entered the game in Philadelphia in the eighth inning against 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 ...
and pitched 3-plus innings. He gave up a run in the ninth inning, allowing the Dodgers to tie the score 3–3. Then in the eleventh inning, he allowed hits to the first two batters (
Tommy Davis and
Manny Mota
Manuel Rafael Mota Geronimo, more commonly known as Manny Mota (born February 18, 1938), is a Dominican former Major League Baseball outfielder who played 20 seasons for the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and Montreal Expos, as well a ...
) and was lifted. Both Davis and Mota went on to score leading to the Dodgers 5–3 win. Scarce was given the loss.
After a
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...
with a 3–8 record and a 5.01 ERA, Scarce was traded along with
Del Unser
Delbert Bernard Unser (born December 9, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder and utility player from to , most prominently with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he was ...
and
John Stearns
John Hardin Stearns (August 21, 1951 – September 15, 2022), nicknamed "Bad Dude", was an American professional baseball catcher and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets from 1975 to 1984 after playing a single ...
from the Phillies to the Mets for
Tug McGraw
Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. (August 30, 1944 – January 5, 2004) was an American professional baseball relief pitcher and long-time Major League Baseball (MLB) player, often remembered for coining the phrase "Ya Gotta Believe", which became ...
,
Don Hahn and
Dave Schneck at the
Winter Meetings
Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...
on December 3, 1974.
Overall, Scarce appeared in 159 Major League baseball games and recorded 21 saves (all with the Phillies) and a 6–19 record. Arm problems curtailed his career; they began in 1974 and worsened that fall, when Scarce believes he tore his rotator cuff. Scarce never started a game and in his 17 major league at bats, he never got a hit.
Scarce played his last game on June 25, 1978.
References
External links
Mac Scarceat SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Mac Scarceat Baseball Almanac
FSU Player Bio
Mac Scarceat Ultimate Mets Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarce, Mac
Major League Baseball pitchers
1949 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Danville, Virginia
Philadelphia Phillies players
New York Mets players
Minnesota Twins players
Peninsula Phillies players
Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players
SCF Manatees baseball players
Baseball players from Virginia
Florida State Seminoles baseball players
State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota alumni