Gary Andrew Varsho (born June 20, 1961) 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 ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

, manager, and coach, who played 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), ...

(MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and Philadelphia Phillies.

Baseball career

As player

Varsho was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round (107th overall) of the 1982 June draft as a second baseman and made his MLB debut with the Cubs on July 9, 1988. His first major league hit came off Ed Whitson on July 9, 1988 against 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 penn ...

. After being traded to the Pirates, Varsho connected off the Cubs’ Shawn Boskie for his first big league

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

on July 2, 1992, at

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 ...

. Varsho appeared for the Pirates in the

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

and 1992 National League Championship Series; in three

postseason The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

games (all as a pinch hitter), he singled twice in three

at bats 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 batt ...

, and spent one defensive inning in right field. Primarily an outfielder, Varsho played 14 years of pro baseball, including eight seasons in the major leagues (–).

After playing

Varsho was the Phillies bench coach (–) and was interim manager for the last two games of the season, after

Larry Bowa Lawrence Robert Bowa (born December 6, 1945) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB), who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets. Bowa went on to mana ...

was fired. Varsho was fired as the Pirates’ bench coach on August 8, 2010. In , he became a professional scout for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

. Since , Varsho has served in the same capacity for the Pirates.

Personal life

In 1979, Varsho graduated from Marshfield High School in

Marshfield, Wisconsin Marshfield is a city in northwest Wood and southwest Marathon counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 10, Highway 13 and Highway 97. The largest city in Wood County, its population was 18,929 at t ...

, after which he attended

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, where he received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in physical education in 1989. Varsho and his wife, Kay have three children: daughters Andie and Taylor, born October 19, 1991, and April 12, 1994 respectively; son Daulton, born July 2, 1996, who is a professional baseball

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

and

for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

References

External links

Gary Varsho
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Gary Varsho
at Baseball Almanac
Gary Varsho
Pittsburgh Pirates Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varsho, Gary 1961 births Living people Baseball players from Wisconsin Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds players Indianapolis Indians players Iowa Cubs players Los Angeles Angels scouts Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim scouts Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball right fielders Midland Cubs players People from Marshfield, Wisconsin Philadelphia Phillies managers Philadelphia Phillies coaches Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsfield Cubs players Pittsburgh Pirates coaches Pittsburgh Pirates players Pittsburgh Pirates scouts Quad Cities Cubs players Reading Phillies managers Salinas Spurs players University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh alumni Wisconsin–Oshkosh Titans baseball players