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Terrance Gore Passes Away

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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.

Mickey Lolich Passes Away

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The Tigers announced Wednesday that three-time American League All-Star and 1968 World Series MVP Mickey Lolich passed away this morning. He was 85 years old.

Debuting as a 22-year-old during the 1963 season, Lolich quickly seized a spot in Detroit’s rotation. He became a mainstay on the Tigers’ staff for the next decade-plus, calling greats like Hall of Famer Jim Bunning and two-time Cy Young winner Denny McLain teammates along the way.

After several years as a steady contributor, Lolich carved out a lasting legacy with a historic performance in the 1968 World Series. The left-hander started Game 2, Game 5 and the pivotal Game 7 against the Cardinals, not only securing three victories but going the distance in each of those wins. In one of the greatest individual World Series performances ever seen, Lolich hurled three complete games, held St. Louis to just five runs on 20 hits and six walks (1.67 ERA) and punched out 21 opponents. His final start during that year’s Fall Classic came on just two days’ rest, but he nonetheless held Lou Brock & Co. to one run on five hits and three walks in a 4-1 victory.

That performance alone would’ve cemented Lolich’s place in Tigers lore, but it’s just one of many highlights over his stellar career. The Portland native made the first of three All-Star appearances the following season in 1969 and, in 1971-72, enjoyed a pair of top-three finishes in American League Cy Young voting, losing out to legends Vida Blue and Gaylord Perry, respectively.

Lolich finished top-10 in American League MVP voting in both of those Cy Young runner-up seasons and, in ’71, paced the American League with 45 games started and 376 innings pitched. He completed 29 games that year and did so while maintaining an ERA just shy of 3.00 (2.92). Both those 45 games started and 376 innings are the second-highest single-season marks for any pitcher in the past century; Lolich trails only Wilbur Wood in each category (376 2/3 innings, 49 games started).

Lolich spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Tigers before being traded to the Mets in a Dec. 1975 swap that sent six-time All-Star Rusty Staub back to Detroit. He briefly retired following his lone year as a Met before returning as a reliever with the Padres in 1978-79 and again calling it quits — this time for good.

All told, Lolich pitched in 16 major league seasons and compiled a 217-191 record with a 3.44 ERA over the life of 3638 1/3 innings. His 2832 career strikeouts rank 23rd all-time, just 33 behind his rookie teammate, the aforementioned Bunning. Lolich is one of just 122 pitchers to ever record 200 wins in his career and is tied with Freddie Fitzsimmons for 87th all-time. His 47.9 wins above replacement (per Baseball-Reference) tie him with another standout lefty, Ron Guidry, for 116th on the all-time list. We at MLBTR offer our condolences to Lolich’s family, friends and countless fans on the loss of one of his generation’s great talents.

Wilbur Wood Passes Away

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Longtime big league knuckleballer Wilbur Wood passed away on Saturday at age 84.  A left-handed workhorse starter, Wood was a three-time All-Star over a 17-year MLB career that included stints with the White Sox, Pirates, and Red Sox.

It took Wood a while to really establish himself in the big leagues, as after making his MLB debut with Boston in 1961, Wood threw only 159 2/3 innings over 73 appearances from 1961-65.  A trade from the Red Sox to the Pirates in 1964 at least gave Wood regular bullpen duty during the 1965 season, but after spending the entire 1966 campaign with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A team, he was traded to the White Sox in the move that really unlocked Wood’s career.

Future Hall-of-Famer Hoyt Wilhelm was a member of that Chicago team, and the veteran took Wood under his wing by teaching him some of the tricks of Wilhelm’s knuckleball.  Wood had thrown the pitch on-and-off in the past, but under Wilhelm’s tutelage and encourage, Wood adopted the pitch on a regular basis and the rest was history.  Over 292 games and 495 2/3 innings from 1967-70, Wood posted a 2.49 ERA as a fireman out of the White Sox bullpen, often tossing multiple innings in all sorts of situations as a closer, leverage set-up man, or just innings-eater.

The White Sox moved Wood back into the rotation in advance of the 1971 season, setting the table for a five-year run of numbers that seems impossible by today’s modern pitching standards.  Wood posted a 3.08 ERA over 227 appearances (224 of them starts) and a whopping 1681 2/3 innings from 1971-75, leading the majors in starts four times over that span and twice leading MLB in innings.  Wood’s success was recognized with a runner-up finish in AL Cy Young Award voting in 1972, and he also finished third in the Cy race in 1971 and fifth in 1973.  Wood was named to the AL All-Star team in 1971, 1972, and 1974.

Even in an era when starters were expected to carry a heavier workload and four-man rotations weren’t uncommon, Wood’s knuckler-powered durability stood out.  Wood’s 376 2/3 IP in 1972 is the highest single-season mark of any pitcher from 1918 to the present day.  To put Wood’s 1972 season in perspective, MLB’s top two leaders in innings pitched in 2025 (Logan Webb and Garrett Crochet) combined for 412 1/3 innings last year.

Unfortunately for Wood, the White Sox weren’t particularly competitive during his five-year dream run.  He became one of only a few pitchers in modern baseball history to both win and lose 20 games in a season when Wood went 24-20 in 1973.  Wood won at least 20 games every year from 1971-74, and he also lost 20 more games in 1975.

Wood’s amazing run of durability ended when his kneecap was broken by a line drive off the bat of the Tigers’ Ron LeFlore in May 1976, which ended his season.  Wood was never the same after the injury, as the southpaw posted a 5.11 ERA over 290 2/3 innings for Chicago in 1977-78.  He decided to retire, concluding his career with a 164-156 record, a 3.24 ERA, 6.5% walk rate, and 12.7% strikeout rate over 651 games and 2684 innings.

We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Wood’s family, loved ones, and many fans.

Dave Giusti Passes Away

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Former big league right-hander Dave Giusti has passed away, the Pirates announced this morning. He was 86 years old.

“We are saddened by the loss of such a beloved member of the Pirates family,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in this morning’s press release. “He was a vital member of our World Series winning team in 1971 and spent seven of his 15 big-league seasons with the Pirates before eventually making Pittsburgh his home. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Ginny, his daughters, Laura and Cynthia, and the entire Giusti family.”

Giusti made his major league debut in 1962 — his age-22 campaign — with the Houston Colt .45s and posted an inauspicious 5.62 earned run average through his first 73 2/3 innings. He didn’t pitch in the majors in ’63 and logged only 25 2/3 MLB frames in ’64. In 1965, he established himself as a member of Houston’s staff, tossing 131 1/3 innings with a 4.32 ERA. That was a ways higher than the 3.50 league average at that time (77 ERA+, 125 ERA-), but it kicked off a run of four seasons that saw Giusti log regular work as a starter in Houston. From 1965-68, he pitched a combined 814 innings with a 3.90 ERA.

Houston traded Giusti to the Cardinals in the 1968-69 offseason. The Cardinals lost him to the Padres in October 1968’s expansion draft, only to reacquire him two months later. He spent one season with the Cards (3.61 ERA, 99 2/3 innings) before being traded to the Pirates, with whom he’d make his lone All-Star team, tally three separate top-10 finishes in National League Cy Young voting, and win a World Series.

Giusti had been almost exclusively a starting pitcher over his final seasons in Houston, but he made only one start with Pittsburgh in 1970 and only three over his seven seasons in black and gold. Giusti transitioned near seamlessly to relief at a time when doing so wasn’t nearly as common as it is in today’s game. He saved 26 games for the Pirates in 1970, pitching 103 innings with a 3.61 ERA along the way.

Over the next several years, Giusti was a pivotal endgame arm for the Bucs. He saved a career-high 30 games in 1971, pitching to a 2.93 ERA in 86 regular-season frames before tossing 10 1/3 shutout innings during the playoffs as the Pirates went on to win the World Series. Overall, Giusti pitched 618 regular-season innings with the Pirates from 1970-76, piling up 133 saves and a recording a tidy 2.94 earned run average along the way.

The Pirates traded Giusti to the A’s in the 1976-77 offseason — part of a nine-player swap that included notable names like Phil Garner, Rick Langford and Tony Armas. Giusti pitched 85 2/3 innings between the A’s and Cubs, working to a 3.89 ERA in the 15th and final season of his major league career.

Giusti retired with a career 100-93 record, 145 saves, a 3.60 ERA and 1103 strikeouts in 1716 2/3 innings pitched. He won a World Series with the Pirates in ’71, made the All-Star team in ’73, garnered MVP votes in ’70 (sixth) and ’71 (14th), and drew Cy Young votes in ’70 (fourth), ’73 (seventh) and ’74 (ninth).

Fans of Giusti will want to check out Jason Mackey’s tribute to him over at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, wherein former teammates Milt May and Steve Blass discuss the right-hander’s transition to the bullpen, the efficacy of his signature palmball, and the never-give-in mentality that made him such a natural fit for high-leverage spots late in the game. We at MLBTR extend our condolences to Giusti’s family, friends, former teammates and the countless fans he amassed over a lengthy and successful big league career.

Andy Kosco Passes Away

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Ten-year MLB veteran Andy Kosco passed away earlier this month. He was 84 years old. Kosco played in 658 games for the Twins, Yankees, Dodgers, Brewers, Angels, Red Sox, and Reds from 1965-74. Primarily a corner outfielder, he appeared at all three outfield positions, as well as first and third base.

Born October 5, 1941 in Ohio, Kosco grew up a multi-sport star but ultimately chose baseball, signing his first professional contract with the Tigers in 1959. However, he did not make the majors until he joined the Twins, with whom he debuted at 23 years old in 1965.

Kosco’s best tool was his power. He hit double-digit home runs in three seasons, with a personal best of 19 for the Dodgers in 1969. All told, he racked up 73 home runs and 156 extra-base hits in his career, good for a .394 slugging percentage and .158 isolated power. His isolated power was 29% better than the league average during the years in which he played. In the field, Kosco was a fine defender, finishing with a .980 fielding percentage and a +6 total zone rating as an outfielder. He recorded 29 outfield assists in his career, including 10 with the Yankees in 1968, which tied him for eighth-most in the American League.

Kosco played his last professional season for the Toledo Mud Hens, then the Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies, in 1975. He retired after the 1975 season. We at MLB Trade Rumors extend our sincerest condolences to Kosco’s family, friends, and fans.

Longtime Athletics Scout Will Schock Passes Away

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The Athletics announced today the passing of longtime scout Will Schock. He was 61. Schock had been a part of the organization since getting drafted by the team in 1987. General manager David Forst released a statement about Schock’s passing.

“Will was a beloved part of the A’s organization for the better part of the last four decades. After being drafted by and pitching for the A’s for five years, he dedicated his life to scouting and made a lasting impact on both our amateur and pro staffs. His easygoing nature always made him a joy to be around, and his passion for the game and its players made every conversation with him an opportunity to learn from his years in the game.

We were lucky to have him as a teammate and friend. Our thoughts are with his family today, particularly his mother Trubee, his sister-in-law Jeanine, and his longtime partner Mary Coons.”

Schock, a right-handed pitcher, was initially drafted by the Giants out of high school in 1982. He instead chose to pitch in college at the University of California, Berkeley. Schock was taken in the 22nd round of the 1987 draft by the Athletics. He spent five seasons in the A’s system, topping out at Triple-A. Schock also briefly pitched in the Reds organization. He wrapped up his playing career with a respectable 3.95 ERA across 121 minor league appearances.

We at MLB Trade Rumors extend our condolences to Schock’s family, friends, and loved ones.

Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images

Former Rangers Owner Tom Hicks Passes Away

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The Rangers announced this morning that Tom Hicks has passed away at the age of 79. Hicks owned the Rangers from 1998 to 2010. The club released a statement about Hicks’s passing.

“Mr. Hicks was a passionate and competitive owner and Texas Rangers fan,” the statement read. “The club extends its thoughts and prayers to Mr. Hicks’ wife Cinda, his six children and his entire family as they mourn a legendary Texas businessman, philanthropist, and sportsman.“

A private equity investor based in Dallas, Hicks made over $1B as part of a partnership that invested in soft drink brands Dr. Pepper and 7 Up and merged the two companies together in the late 1980s. Hicks moved into sports franchise ownership when he purchased the NHL’s Dallas Stars in 1995. It was just a few years later in 1998 that Hicks purchased the Rangers from an investment group managed by future U.S. President George W. Bush. He would later go on to purchase Liverpool F.C. in 2007.

The Rangers found immediate success under Hicks’s ownership with back-to-back AL West titles led by future Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez. The team began to struggle in 2000, however, and that led Hicks to sign superstar Alex Rodriguez to a ten-year, $252MM contract that shattered records at the time during the 2000-01 offseason’s Winter Meetings. While A-Rod hit an incredible .305/.395/.615 over the 2001-03 seasons with 156 home runs and 27.0 fWAR, his supporting cast left much to be desired around the rest of the roster and the Rangers lost 90, 91, and 89 games during his three years with the franchise.

That spurred Hicks to trade Rodriguez following the 2003 season, and he was dealt to the Yankees in exchange for Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias during the 2003-04 offseason. New York picked up $112MM of the $179MM remaining on Rodriguez’s contract. The Yankees went on to win the 2009 World Series with Rodriguez in tow, and A-Rod added two more MVP trophies to his mantle after winning his first with Texas in 2003. Meanwhile, the Rangers continued to struggle to break back into relevance. They did manage to win 89 games the year after the Rodriguez trade in 2004, but finished third in a highly competitive AL West and missed out on the postseason nonetheless.

It took until the 2009 season for the Rangers to be back on the upswing, when they won 87 games and once again narrowly missed out on a postseason berth with a roster headlined by Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, and the rookie season of Elvis Andrus. That season was stained, however, by the club’s inability to sign first-rounder Matt Purke. Purke and the Rangers verbally agreed on a $6MM bonus after he was drafted, but the Rangers ultimately backed out of it. While Hicks contended that the club simply was unwilling to spend that amount to sign the 14th-overall selection in that year’s draft, team president Nolan Ryan suggested that the team’s finances were being closely monitored by the league at the time, who rejected the $6MM expenditure.

In January of 2010, Hicks announced that he had agreed to sell the Rangers to a group led by Ryan and Chuck Greenberg. The sale was delayed by a number of legal and financial issues throughout the year, including Hicks Sports Group filing for bankruptcy in May. The franchise was ultimate put up for public auction in August of 2010, which the group led by Ryan and Greenberg won. That ended Hicks’s tenure with the Rangers, and he went on to sell Liverpool a few months later as well as the Stars the following year.

While Hicks’s time with the Rangers ended in rocky fashion, the personnel who were hired to oversee the team during his tenure (including Ryan, GM Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington) managed to lead the Rangers to great success on the field in spite of this off-the-field drama. The Rangers won back-to-back AL pennants during the 2010 and ’11 seasons, with 90- and 96-win campaigns thanks to impact performances from stars Josh Hamilton and (in the case of 2011) Adrian Beltre.

MLB Trade Rumors extends our condolences to Hicks’s family, friends and loved ones.

Dave Morehead Passes Away

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Former big league pitcher Dave Morehead passed away last week, according to a report from J.P. Hoornstra of Newsweek. He was 82.

Morehead was a San Diego native who signed with the Red Sox as a 17-year-old. He was in the big leagues two years later, winning 10 games and pitching 174 2/3 innings in his age-19 season. The 6’1″ righty threw a complete game shutout with 10 strikeouts to beat the Washington Senators in his MLB debut. Morehead would go on to record 136 punchouts with a 3.81 earned run average in what was arguably the best season of his career.

He’d hold a rotation spot in Boston for the next two seasons. Morehead’s ERA spiked north of 4.00 in each of the next two years, though he started 30+ games and topped 130 strikeouts in both seasons. The highlight of his career came at the end of the ’65 season. Morehead fired a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Cleveland that September. He fanned eight and only allowed one baserunner (a second-inning walk to Rocky Colavito) to outduel Luis Tiant. It was the 14th no-hitter in franchise history.

Morehead battled injuries and was limited to a combined 33 regular season appearances over the next three seasons. The Sox won 92 games to claim the AL pennant in 1967. Morehead got into two games during the Fall Classic, working around four walks to toss 3 1/3 scoreless frames. Boston came up just short of a title, as Bob Gibson won three times to push the Cardinals to a seven-game Series win.

After the ’68 season, Morehead went to Kansas City in the expansion draft. He pitched two seasons with the Royals to finish his career. Morehead pitched to a 4.15 ERA with 627 strikeouts over 819 1/3 innings in parts of eight campaigns. MLBTR sends our condolences to Morehead’s family, friends and loved ones.

George Altman Passes Away

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Former All-Star outfielder George Altman has passed away at age 92. The news was announced last night by Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

Altman was a dual sport athlete (baseball and basketball) at Tennessee State University. He began his professional career with the Negro American League’s Kansas City Monarchs in 1955. Altman played for Hall of Fame player-manager Buck O’Neil that year. The Cubs hired O’Neil as a scout in 1956. On the legendary evaluator’s recommendation, Chicago signed the 6’4″ Altman to a minor league contract.

After his first minor league season, Altman was forced to pause his career upon being conscripted into the Army. He returned to professional baseball in 1958 and made his big league debut the following season when he started in center field on Opening Day. Altman hit .245 with 12 home runs as a rookie but would improve over the next few years.

His average ticked up to .266 in year two before a career season in 1961. Altman batted .303/.350/.560 with a personal-high 27 home runs across 573 trips to the plate. He led the National League with 12 triples and tied for 19th in the majors in homers. Altman finished 14th in MLB in average, 12th in slugging percentage, and tied for 16th in OPS (min. 500 plate appearances). He drove in 96 runs, leading a Chicago team that — despite finishing 64-90-2 on the year — had future Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Billy Williams in the lineup.

Altman was named to both the midseason and postseason National League All-Star teams. (Between 1959-62, Major League Baseball played two All-Star Games annually.) He finished 14th in MVP voting. Altman had an equally impressive ’62 campaign, batting .318/.393/.511 with 22 homers and 74 RBI to earn another All-Star nod. He was one of 13 qualified hitters with a combined OPS above .900 over that two-year run. Eight of those players would eventually wind up in Cooperstown, and the group of non-Hall of Famers included star hitters Norm Cash, Rocky Colavito and Roger Maris.

Obviously, Altman didn’t maintain that star pace into his 30s. His numbers dropped off as he played through injuries after he was traded to the Cardinals over the 1962-63 offseason. Altman wound up playing parts of five more MLB seasons between the Cards, Mets, and a second stint with the Cubs.

The second half of his big league career wasn’t especially impressive, but he seemed reinvigorated by a move to Japan in 1968. Altman had a second act as a star hitter in Nippon Professional Baseball, where he hit .309 while slugging 205 homers over eight seasons. He played through age 43 and might have been an even more accomplished NPB player were it not for a colon cancer diagnosis in 1974. Altman beat the disease and lived another five decades, working as a commodities trader in Chicago before moving to the St. Louis area in retirement.

Altman finished his MLB career with a .269 average in just under 1000 games. He topped 100 homers and 400 RBI and stole 52 bases. He was among the best hitters in the game over a two-year peak and played professionally for 20 years between the Negro League, the National League, and NPB. MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

Randy Jones Passes Away

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The Padres announced Wednesday that two-time All-Star and former National League Cy Young winner Randy Jones has passed away. He was 75 years old. The team issued the following statement:

“With deep sorrow and heavy hearts, the Padres mourn the passing of our beloved left-hander, Randy Jones. Randy was a cornerstone of our franchise for over five decades, highlighted by becoming the first Padres pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. Inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame in 1999, his impact and popularity only grew in his post-playing career, becoming a tremendous ambassador for the team and a true fan favorite. Crossing paths with RJ and talking baseball or life was a joy for everyone fortunate enough to spend time with him. Randy was committed to San Diego, the Padres, and his family. He was a giant in our lives and our franchise history. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to his wife Marie and the entire Jones family during this difficult time. RJ will be greatly missed.”

Jones was the Padres’ fifth-round pick in the 1972 draft and was in the majors as a 23-year-old the following season. The Fullerton native, born just about 100 miles north of the city where he’d eventually star on the mound, appeared in 20 games during his rookie season and immediately impressed with a 3.16 earned run average in 139 2/3 innings.

From that point, Jones became a fixture in San Diego’s rotation. A tough 1974 season saw him lead the National League with 22 losses, but he flipped the script in 1975-76, reaching 20 wins in both seasons. Jones logged an NL-best 2.24 ERA in 285 innings during the ’75 season and finished second in Cy Young voting to the legendary Tom Seaver. A year later, it was Jones’ turn to take home the hardware. He tossed an MLB-best 315 1/3 innings, including an incredible 25 complete games (five shutouts) and notched a tidy 2.74 earned run average. Coupled with 22 wins, that performance helped him beat out runners up Jerry Koosman, Don Sutton and Steve Carlton for what would be the lone Cy Young Award of his decade-long career.

Jones spent another four seasons in the Friars’ rotation but never returned to those lofty heights. He averaged 204 frames per season from 1977-80, working to a collective 3.62 ERA along the way. The Padres traded him to the Mets following the 1980 season, and he’d go on to pitch two years in Queens with a 4.69 ERA in 167 innings before being released.

Though Jones’ peak was fairly brief, he was one of the faces of his team in the mid-70s and is fondly remembered by fans for that pair of stellar, Cy Young-caliber seasons in ’75-’76. He retired with exactly 100 wins and a 3.42 earned run average compiled over the course of 1933 innings in the majors. We at MLBTR offer our condolences to the family, friends and countless fans of Jones — and to the entire Padres organization.

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