Patrick Paul Zachry (born April 24, 1952) is a 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 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

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 to , and is likely best remembered as one of the players the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

sent to 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 ...

in the infamous "Midnight Massacre".

Early years

Zachry was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the nineteenth round of the

1970 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1970 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign References External links Complete draft list from ''The Basebal ...

. In six seasons in their

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, he compiled a 54-42 record, even 3.00

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 ...

and 619

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s. While a member of the

Tampa Tarpons The Tampa Tarpons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Tampa, Florida. The Tarpons play their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is ...

in , Zachry received notice of his military draft eligibility for the nation's on-going engagement in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, however, he failed the U.S. Army's physical examination.

Cincinnati Reds

The reigning

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

champion Reds dealt

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

Clay Kirby Clayton Laws Kirby, Jr. (June 25, 1948 – October 11, 1991) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher for the San Diego Padres (1969–73), Cincinnati Reds (1974–75) and Montreal Expos (1976). Early life Clayton Laws "Clay" Kirby, Jr, was b ...

to the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

for

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

Bob Bailey 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 ...

in order to make room in their rotation for Zachry. Though he made his debut on April 11, out of the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

, he was moved into the

starting rotation R rabbit ears :Indicates a participant in the game who hears things perhaps too well for their own good. A player who becomes nervous or chokes when opposing players or fans yell at or razz them is said to have rabbit ears. Also, an umpire ...

shortly afterwards. On May 28, he

shut out Shut Out may refer to: * Shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as ...

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 ...

to improve to 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA. For the season, Zachry compiled a 14-7 record, 2.74 ERA, and a team leading 143 strikeouts in 204

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. In the post-season, Zachry won game two of the

1976 National League Championship Series The 1976 National League Championship Series was a postseason series between the two division champions of the National League in the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies. This was the eighth NLCS held in baseball history. For the fourt ...

against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Veterans Stadium Veterans Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The seating capacities were 65,358 for footb ...

, and game three of the

1976 World Series The 1976 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1976 season. The 73rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Cincinnati Reds and the Ameri ...

with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

, both by a final score of 6-2. The "

Big Red Machine The Big Red Machine is a nickname for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1979 and is widely recognized as being among the best in baseball history. The team won six National League West Division titl ...

" became the first team to sweep the entire post-season since the Championship Series were begun in 1969, en route to winning their second consecutive world championship. After the season, Zachry had a

hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the gr ...

operation, and was in the process of recovering when he and

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 ...

closer

Butch Metzger Clarence Edward Metzger (born May 23, 1952) is an American former professional baseball player and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardin ...

were named co-winners of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

Rookie of the Year Award A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

. It was the first time in major league history co-winners of the award were named. Zachry was also the first ever Rookie of the Year Award winning pitcher to start and win a World Series game during his rookie season. The hernia, coupled with a sore elbow, delayed Zachry's

Spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, and denied him the opening day

start Start can refer to multiple topics: *Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports *Standing start, and rolling start, in an auto race Acronyms *St ...

. He did not pitch until the fifth game of the season against the Houston Astros. He gave up three runs in his first inning of work. In the month of May, Zachry was 0-4 with a 9.85 ERA. Following an 8-0 loss to

Tom Seaver George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "the Franchise", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets, Cinc ...

and the New York Mets at

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.M. Donald Grant, and had requested a trade. On June 15, 1977, Zachry,

Doug Flynn Robert Douglas Flynn, Jr. (born April 18, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1975 to 1985 as an infielder for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos a ...

, Steve Henderson and

Dan Norman Daniel Edmund Norman (born January 11, 1955) is an American former professional baseball right fielder, who played for the New York Mets and Montreal Expos of Major League Baseball (MLB). His professional career started in the Cincinnati Reds org ...

were traded to the Mets in exchange for Seaver; the ''

Beaver County Times ''The Beaver County Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Beaver, Pennsylvania, United States, and serving the north-western Pittsburgh suburbs. The ''Times'' is a direct descendant of many of Beaver County's newspapers, starting with the '' ...

'' wrote that Zachry was the "principal figure" acquired by the Mets in the deal. Zachry's poor season continued in New York, as he lost his first two decisions to fall to 3-9 combined. A four

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

gem against the Montreal Expos on July 10 signaled a return to form for Zachry. Over the rest of the season, Zachry went 7-4 with a 3.53 ERA, and was the only Mets starting pitcher to post a winning record (7-6) besides Seaver (7-3). Zachry was masterful to start his first full season as a Met. After defeating his former club on April 30, he finished the first month of the season with a 3-0 record and 1.85 ERA. A complete game victory over

Tommy Lasorda Thomas Charles Lasorda (September 22, 1927 – January 7, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher and manager. He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 through 1996. He was inducted into the Nati ...

's Los Angeles Dodgers on June 7 improved his record to 7-1, and convinced Lasorda to add Zachry as the sole Mets representative on the National League All-Star team (he did not appear in the game). On July 24, the Cincinnati Reds came to Shea Stadium with

Pete Rose Peter Edward Rose Sr. (born April 14, 1941), also known by his nickname "Charlie Hustle", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Rose played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a membe ...

entering the game with a 36-game

hitting streak In baseball, a hitting streak is the number of consecutive official games in which a player appears and gets at least one base hit. According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is not necessarily ended when a player has at least 1 plate ...

. Zachry held Rose hitless in his first three

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a bat ...

s, but Rose ultimately tied

Tommy Holmes Thomas Francis Holmes (March 29, 1917 – April 14, 2008) was an American right and center fielder and manager in Major League Baseball who played nearly his entire career for the Boston Braves. He hit over .300 lifetime (.302) and every year fro ...

' N.L. record 37 game streak with a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

to left in the seventh inning. Four batters later, Zachry was pulled in favor of

Kevin Kobel Kevin Richard Kobel (born October 2, 1953) is a former professional baseball pitcher. Having made his major league debut with the Milwaukee Brewers a month shy of his twentieth birthday on September 8, , he is the only pitcher in franchise history ...

. Frustrated, Zachry went to kick a

batting helmet A batting helmet is worn by batters in the game of baseball or softball. It is meant to protect the batter's head from errant pitches thrown by the pitcher. A batter who is " hit by pitch," due to an inadvertent wild pitch or by intent, may be ...

sitting on the dugout steps, missed, and kicked the step. He suffered contusions in his left foot, and left on crutches. He was lost for the remainder of the season. Despite the fact that his season was also marred by injuries, Zachry was 5-0 with a 2.89 ERA before suffering his first loss and a season-ending injury on June 8 against the Houston Astros. He would not return to the mound until May of the following season, but managed to stay healthy over the remainder of the season. He logged 164.2

, his most as a Met, and pitched well in spite of his 6-10 record. His 3.01 ERA was tops among Mets starters, however, he suffered from a lack of run support. The Mets were shut out in each of Zachry's last three decisions, and five times in his 26 starts. On July 25 and July 30, Zachry shut out his opponent in consecutive starts. His streak would have hit three were it not for three

unearned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...

s in the eighth inning of his next start. Zachry shut out the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...

in the season opener. He won each of his first three starts, but then fell into a five-game losing streak in which his ERA was 6.93, and opposing batters hit .330. His record stood at 5-7 with a 4.16 ERA when the players' strike interrupted the season. On the first day of the strike, Zachry's wife, Sharron, gave birth to their son, Joshua. When play resumed, Zachry once again suffered from a lack of run support. The Mets scored one run or less in four of Zachry's eleven starts in the second half. As a result, he went 2-7 to give him a league leading fourteen losses for the season (tied with

Steve Mura Stephen Andrew Mura (born February 12, 1955) is an American retired Major League Baseball player. A pitcher, Mura played from - with the San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, and Oakland Athletics. He was a member of the Cardi ...

of the San Diego Padres). In his first start of the season, Zachry seemed destined to top his opening day performance from a year ago. Once again facing the Cubs at Wrigley, he took a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

into the eighth inning. He walked lead-off batter

Keith Moreland Bobby Keith Moreland (born May 2, 1954), nicknamed "Zonk", is a former outfielder, catcher and infielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and San Diego Padres. In 1989, the final year of his career, ...

, but then retired the next two batters, and seemed to be on the verge of getting out of the inning unscathed. A walk to

Tye Waller Elliott Tyrone Waller (born March 14, 1957) or more commonly known as Tye Waller or Ty Waller, is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. He was also a coach for the Oakland Athletics from 2007 to 2015. Playing career Waller was drafted b ...

brought

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

Bob Molinaro Robert Joseph Molinaro (born May 21, 1950) is a former professional baseball outfielder in the minor and major leagues in a career that lasted 18 years. His baseball career began in 1968, and lasted until 1985. During that time Molinaro played ...

to the plate with runners on first and second. He laced a single to right to break up the no-hitter and the shut out. The Cubs went on to score four runs that inning, only one of them earned. New Mets

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 o ...

George Bamberger George Irvin Bamberger (August 1, 1923 – April 4, 2004) was an American professional baseball player, pitching coach and manager. In Major League Baseball, the right-handed pitcher appeared in ten games, nine in relief, for the 1951–52 New ...

used Zachry as both a starter and

reliever 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 weather ...

in 1982. He went 2-3 with a 2.11 ERA as a reliever, and earned his first career save on August 15 against the Cubs.

Los Angeles Dodgers

During the off season, the Mets traded Zachry to the Los Angeles Dodgers for

Jorge Orta Jorge Orta Núñez (born November 26, 1950) is a Mexican former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1972 to 1987 for the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Los An ...

. In his two seasons with the Dodgers, Zachry pitched exclusively in relief, with the exception of one emergency start made in the second game of a doubleheader against the Mets at Shea on August 30, (he held his former team scoreless for six innings before giving way to the bullpen). He ended his first season in Los Angeles with a 6-1 record and 2.49 ERA, and returned to the post season for the first time since his rookie season. He appeared in games three and four of the

1983 National League Championship Series The 1983 National League Championship Series was a best-of-five matchup between the West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the East Division champion Philadelphia Phillies. It was the 15th NLCS in all. The Phillies beat the Dodgers, thr ...

, both won by the Philadelphia Phillies by final scores of 7-2. In four total innings pitched, he allowed one

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...

and four

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

, while striking out two. Following a campaign in which he went 5-6 with two saves and a 3.81 ERA, Zachry was dealt to the Phillies for slugging

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Al Oliver Albert Oliver Jr. (born October 14, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and first baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won ...

Philadelphia Phillies

With

Kent Tekulve Kenton Charles Tekulve ( ; born March 5, 1947), nicknamed "Teke", is an American former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also played f ...

and

Don Carman Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

already in their bullpen, Zachry's role with the Phillies was very limited. After just ten appearances (mostly in losses), Zachry was released by the Phillies in June with no decisions and a 4.26 ERA. Unable to land a job with another team, he retired and went into coaching. He later played in the

Senior Professional Baseball Association The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the ''Senior League'', was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had ei ...

in , and was profiled in a book by

Peter Golenbock Peter Golenbock (born July 19, 1946) is an American author. He is noted for his many books about baseball and other sports. Many of his books have been bestsellers. Career Golenbock initially worked as a lawyer for Prentice Hall, a publishing hou ...

about the league. Pat Zachry (coach) - San Antonio Missions - 1988

Career stats

{, class=wikitable style="text-align:center" , Seasons , W , L , Pct ,

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

, G , GS , CG ,

SHO Sho, Shō or SHO may refer to: Music * ''Shō'' (instrument) (笙), a Japanese wind instrument * ''Kane'' (instrument) (鉦), a Japanese percussion instrument * Sho?, a Dubai rock band People * Shō (given name), including ''Sho'' * Shō (su ...

, SV , IP , H , ER , R , HR , BB , K , WP , HBP , BAA , Fld% , Avg. , - , 10 , 69 , 67 , , 3.52 , 293 , 154 , 29 , 7 , 3 , 1177.1 , 1147 , 461 , 529 , 88 , 495 , 669 , 19 , 21 , .259 , .948 , .113

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
o
SABR Biography Project
o
The Ultimate Mets Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zachry, Pat 1952 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Baseball players from Texas Cincinnati Reds players Gulf Coast Reds players Indianapolis Indians players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners National League All-Stars New York Mets players People from Richmond, Texas Philadelphia Phillies players Sioux Falls Packers players St. Petersburg Pelicans players Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players Tigres de Aragua players Trois-Rivières Aigles players