Longtime Royals outfielder and pinch-running specialist Terrance Gore passed away yesterday at age 34. According to a social media post from Gore’s wife Britney, Gore unexpectedly passed following what was supposed to be a routine surgical procedure.
A veteran of eight Major League seasons, Gore had one of the more unique careers of any player in baseball history. Gore played in 112 big league games, but made only 14 starts and 85 trips to the plate, as Gore was almost exclusively utilized as a pinch-running specialist. Gore didn’t hit much in the majors (.216/.310/.270 over his 85 PA) or even in the minor leagues, yet he carved out a niche for himself due to his glovework and blazing speed.
On the basepaths, Gore stole 43 bases out of 52 attempts, and scored 33 career runs. As a defender, Gore posted +2 Defensive Runs Saved and +6 Outs Above Average over 188 1/3 regular-season career innings in the outfield, seeing time at all three positions.
Kansas City selected Gore in the 20th round of the 2011 draft, and he spent five of his eight seasons in a Royals uniform. The majority of Gore’s big league time at the plate came during his 2019 season with the Royals, and he delivered a .275/.362/.353 slash line across 58 PA. Gore was a member of the Royals’ pennant-winning teams in 2014 and 2015, stealing four bases in five attempts over eight postseason games in those two iconic seasons in K.C. baseball history.
The Royals’ 2015 championship marked the first of three times Gore played for a World Series-winning team, as he also earned rings with the 2020 Dodgers and 2021 Braves. The back half of Gore’s big league career saw him bounce around to several postseason contenders (the Cubs, Yankees, Dodgers, Braves, and Mets) looking to bolster their baserunning situation heading into the playoffs. Gore played in two regular-season games with the 2020 Dodgers but didn’t see any playoff action, and he then spent the entire 2021 regular season in the Braves’ minor league system before being included on Atlanta’s NLDS roster.
We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Gore’s family, friends, and loved ones.
So terrible and unexpected. Always had an interesting place in the league, you don’t see a “designated pinch-runner” too often. May he rest in peace.
Horrible news. Prayers to the family.
3 career WS rings, is pretty amazing.
34. Way too young. RIP
Awful to hear. He knew what he was good at and turned it into three rings. Good for him. Gone too soon.
That is awful news. Condolences to his family and friends. RIP Gore
Man, just awful. RIP.
Prayers go out to his family in these hard times. Way to young for that man.
Incredibly shocking. Rest in peace. Condolences to his loved ones.
Wow, that’s devastating at just 34.
That sucks. No such thing as a routine procedure anymore
I have two major surgeries coming up. Think this makes me feel secure?
Love how you made it about yourself.
Relax dude, I can see why he would be feeling that. I have a surgery coming up too, although just for a knee. This article gives me pause. He’s taking nothing away from Gore or what his family is going through.
You will be OK my friend. I’ll be praying for you if you don’t mind.
Best of luck to you brother. You’ll be good
Anymore? If anesthesia is involved, there’s no such thing as routine.
Yeah, in late 1994 (at the age of 22) I went to have an arthroscopic “a simple & routine” procedure. Instead I developed a staph infection that wrecked havoc on my knee & still messing w my life today. After yrs of gel (artificial cartilage) injections I had a knee replacement in April 2015 (age 42). I’ve been having issues with it off & on for the past couple of yrs. I’m (eventually) going to have a revision or 2nd replacement done. After that, I’m stuck with those results. I’m blessed every day. The main point is that there’s really no such thing as a simple surgery until it’s concluded WITHOUT complications.
I’m sorry to hear that I hope you are doing better.
Having to get cut open is not part of anybody’s routine.
Terrible. Routine surgery? Yikes.
Terrible to lose anyone in the prime of their life. Prayers for his family.
Damn, that’s tragic. Best wishes to his family.
RIP
How sad at only 34. Way too young. Condolences to his family. RIP.
Awful. RIP young man.
R.I.P. TG!!!
Shocking and sad. Gone far too soon. RIP.
3-time World Series champion only to die so young. That’s just plain unlucky…
Incredibly, incredibly sad. My condolences to his family and loved ones.
This dude was a menace against the Twins those seasons. And I remember how vital he was in that 2015 world series run. Makes me sad to hear of his passing.
RIP Terrance…..
Our generation’s Herb Washington. He carved out a very interesting career with his immense speed and brains on the base path.
Shame to hear. RIP
I was thinking Matt Alexander, another designated runner type from the 70s.
Larry Lintz could actually play a decent IF.
Wow. So sad to hear so young. Feel for his family. Condolences to his family and friends.
Such a shame. He should have been just starting the relaxing second phase of his life and career with his family.
Whoa. I wonder what happened.
Complications with a routine surgery
This is so sad. As a Royals and Cubs fan, I got to see him a lot. The guy always had a smile on his face and never had a bad day. He was very fast and almost a sure bet on the basepaths when the opponent knew what he was in there to do. Such a tragedy. Thoughts and prayers for his family. What a shock!
Rest in peace Terrance, much too soon. Loved watching you steal bases for the Royals.
What the hell?
Absolutely horrifying at any age, but even worse at only 34 years old. Just terrible.
Terrible news. Way too young. RIP to the speed demon.
Terrible news. May he rest in peace.
This such sad news. Way, way too young. Thoughts and prayers to his wife and family.
That’s just horrible, he was 34 years old? May he rest in peace, that is way too young.
This is a tragic end to a beautiful baseball story. RIP, brother.
He was in the second phase of his life and maxing and relaxing with three rings on his fingers. 34 is far, far too young…just awful.
Remember to hold your loved ones close, as much as you can.
Rest in paradise Terrance.
Routine and surgery do not belong in the same sentence. Very unique career he had.
Always rooted for him. Fast as lightning… I guess God needed a speed Angel. RIP Terrence, thanks for helping the Royals achieve what was seen at the time as a mere impossibility. Sending prayers to his family
34. Wow. Condolences to his family.
Rest in Peace brother. Something that hasn’t been mentioned but is another part of his legacy: Gore was the first player to wear Bruce Bolt batting gloves. He did this as a favor to the family. The MLB exposure thanks to Gore helped launch the now iconic brand.
That’s so cool, thanks for dropping that nugget of gold! Fitting that the mercenary of speed, the speed merchant himself, was the first to wear them! AND it was as a favor to the family?! What a solid dude. R.I.P. TG. Super sad news.
Godspeed
That sucks. RIP.
Loved watching his speed on display.
I know a good lawyer. What a shame.
Scored a run in the 2014 World Series vs.the Giants
RIP Terrance Gore.
Any surgical procedure, especially if it involves anesthesia, can potentially be fatal. However, it’s so rare that when you hear of such a young man dying you simply can’t believe it. I feel for his family. RIP.
That’s awful, condolences to his family. He had such an interesting MLB career and got 3 rings out of it. Another reminder that tomorrow is never promised to us, make the most of every day you get. RIP TG.
Make your days count as best as you can, everyone.
Even routine surgeries are risky.
Please everyone if you have the choice avoid surgery.
Stay safe
My heart truly goes out to his family. 34 is far too young.
34 and 3 kids. Awful.
Something to think about next time you feel like criticising a player for not rushing to a surgery fix.
Exactly. I played football in college ( division 3 nothing big)
My senior year I tore my meniscus . I just quit football and never got rhe surgery.
RIP Terrance.
Good luck on your surgeries, LetItBeLow…
Terrible news to see. He will always be remembered for how unique of a career he had in the bigs and I know I for one am always going to be a big fan of him. May god bless him and his family as they deal with this sudden and unexpected loss. We will miss you buddy.
I thought he was still playing he won so many rings signing with teams at the end of the season
Horrible news. RIP. Strength to his family and loved ones in this time
Horrible news, may his memory be eternal!
May the souls of the faithful departed through God’s mercy rest in peace.
It’s so sad. It was to remove his appendix. A minor surgery. He has 3 young children. My heart breaks for his family and friends.
Especially his wife. Can’t imagine the pain she’s going through right now…..
So young. Praying for his family and friends.
Very sad, he should have had 50 years to go or more.
To be part of 3 WS champions, he certainly had high moments in his brief career. A reminder that tomorrow is not a guarantee. RIP.
RIP Terrence
Heart breaking. Fun player to watch. Brought back value to the base paths. Guys like Justin Dean get a WS roster spot bc of the talents like Gore had.
RIP
R.I.P. Terrence
That is absolutely horrible. RIP 🙏🏻❤️
That’s a real shame. Just goes to show there is no such surgery as routine. Anything can happen. Do remember him being on the 2016 Cubs. Always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to get himself a ring. RIP man!
He was on the royal still in 2016. He won a ring with the Royal (2015, Dodgers 2020, Braves 2021) He was with the Cubs in 2018
Thanks for the correction. Guess my memory isn’t that great anymore. I knew the Cubs picked him up I just assumed because he won 3 rings that was one of them. Still a tragedy.. 34 years young.
He was a favorite for me on my strat-o-matic team. 1-20 steal.
Rest in Paradise Terrance. Gone way too soon 🌹
Horrible to hear. I work in a department of surgery and see all the quality and safety statistics. Even when everything is followed to a T this can happen. Condolences to his wife and family.
Yikes, 34 is way too young! R.I.P.
Man, this one brought a tear to my eye.
So sorry to hear this. RIP. Condolences to his family and friends.
RIP Cheat Code. Absolutely ELITE on the bases.
RIP Terrance. What an exciting player!
The odds of this happening in hospital to a healthy 34 year old during routine surgery are well under 1%. Sadly someone has to be that 1 in 150 or whatever..
Horrible news. Prayers for him and his family during this extremely tough time
He stole 68 bases for the Lexington Legends. “That’s a career.” Rest in peace, you will be missed.
WOW! MLB Trade Rumors will publish the obit of an obscuro like Terrance Gore, but NOTHING about one of the greatest Detroit Tigers ever: MICKEY LOLICH…..and he’s been gone for DAYS now. WAY TO DROP THE BALL Trade Rumors!
There was a post for Lolich
I’m still so sad about his death. I really appreciated him when he was on the Mets.
Professional athletes still in the somewhat prime of their careers do NOT die in routine procedures without having pre-existing conditions and or doctor negligence.
So sad for the Gore family.