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Jerry Grote
Gerald Wayne Grote (October 6, 1942 – April 7, 2024) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1963 through 1981 for the Houston Colt .45s, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Kansas City Royals.
After playing for Houston from 1963 to 1964, Grote played for the Mets from 1966 to 1977. With the Mets, he was a two-time All-Star player and was a member of the team that became known as the Miracle Mets for their upset victory over the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series. He finished his career with the Dodgers in 1977 and 1978 and the Royals and Dodgers in 1981. Grote was considered to be one of the best defensive catchers of his era. He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1992.
Grote was born on October 6, 1942, and was raised in San Antonio, Texas. When he was ten years old, he and his family were caught in an F-4 tornado. His mother, father, and two sisters made it to safety, however, his grandmother died in the storm.
Grote attended Douglas MacArthur High School, where he played on the baseball team as a pitcher, catcher, and third baseman. As a high school pitcher, he threw a no-hitter and a one hitter. Grote attended Trinity University in 1962, and played college baseball for the Trinity Tigers. He led the Tigers in batting average (.413), home runs (five), runs batted in (RBIs; 19), runs scored (29), and hits (31).
After one season at Trinity University, Grote was signed as an amateur free agent by the Houston Colt .45s in 1962, and was assigned to play for their minor league affiliate, the San Antonio Bullets. At the age of 20, he made his major league debut with the Colt .45s on September 21, 1963 as a late-inning defensive replacement for John Bateman, and hit a sacrifice fly to score Bob Aspromonte in his only plate appearance. For the season he appeared in three games, including on September 27, when every starter in the Colts' line-up was a rookie.
In 1964, Grote platooned with Bateman at catcher; however, the Colts also experimented with young catchers Dave Adlesh and John Hoffman, as neither Grote nor Bateman hit for a very high average that season (.181 and .190, respectively). Grote was the Colts' catcher on April 23, when Ken Johnson became the first pitcher in major league history to lose a complete game no-hitter in nine innings.
In 1965, the newly renamed Houston Astros remained unsettled behind the plate, with former All-Star Gus Triandos and prospect Ron Brand being added to the roster. Grote spent the entire season with Houston's Triple-A Pacific Coast League affiliate, the Oklahoma City 89ers, where he batted .265 with eleven home runs. At the end of the season, he was traded to the New York Mets for pitcher Tom Parsons.
Grote became the Mets' starting catcher in 1966. Though he batted only .237 with three home runs in his first season with the Mets, his handling of the Mets' young pitchers and his solid defensive skills were instrumental in helping the Mets avoid 100 losses and a last place finish for the first time in franchise history. Grote earned a reputation with his teammates and opponents as highly competitive, developing the trademark of rolling the ball to the far side of the pitcher's mound (closest to the Mets' dugout) while leaving the field after his pitcher ended an inning with a strikeout. This necessitated the opposing team's pitcher having to walk further to stoop and retrieve the ball.
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Jerry Grote
Gerald Wayne Grote (October 6, 1942 – April 7, 2024) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1963 through 1981 for the Houston Colt .45s, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Kansas City Royals.
After playing for Houston from 1963 to 1964, Grote played for the Mets from 1966 to 1977. With the Mets, he was a two-time All-Star player and was a member of the team that became known as the Miracle Mets for their upset victory over the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series. He finished his career with the Dodgers in 1977 and 1978 and the Royals and Dodgers in 1981. Grote was considered to be one of the best defensive catchers of his era. He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1992.
Grote was born on October 6, 1942, and was raised in San Antonio, Texas. When he was ten years old, he and his family were caught in an F-4 tornado. His mother, father, and two sisters made it to safety, however, his grandmother died in the storm.
Grote attended Douglas MacArthur High School, where he played on the baseball team as a pitcher, catcher, and third baseman. As a high school pitcher, he threw a no-hitter and a one hitter. Grote attended Trinity University in 1962, and played college baseball for the Trinity Tigers. He led the Tigers in batting average (.413), home runs (five), runs batted in (RBIs; 19), runs scored (29), and hits (31).
After one season at Trinity University, Grote was signed as an amateur free agent by the Houston Colt .45s in 1962, and was assigned to play for their minor league affiliate, the San Antonio Bullets. At the age of 20, he made his major league debut with the Colt .45s on September 21, 1963 as a late-inning defensive replacement for John Bateman, and hit a sacrifice fly to score Bob Aspromonte in his only plate appearance. For the season he appeared in three games, including on September 27, when every starter in the Colts' line-up was a rookie.
In 1964, Grote platooned with Bateman at catcher; however, the Colts also experimented with young catchers Dave Adlesh and John Hoffman, as neither Grote nor Bateman hit for a very high average that season (.181 and .190, respectively). Grote was the Colts' catcher on April 23, when Ken Johnson became the first pitcher in major league history to lose a complete game no-hitter in nine innings.
In 1965, the newly renamed Houston Astros remained unsettled behind the plate, with former All-Star Gus Triandos and prospect Ron Brand being added to the roster. Grote spent the entire season with Houston's Triple-A Pacific Coast League affiliate, the Oklahoma City 89ers, where he batted .265 with eleven home runs. At the end of the season, he was traded to the New York Mets for pitcher Tom Parsons.
Grote became the Mets' starting catcher in 1966. Though he batted only .237 with three home runs in his first season with the Mets, his handling of the Mets' young pitchers and his solid defensive skills were instrumental in helping the Mets avoid 100 losses and a last place finish for the first time in franchise history. Grote earned a reputation with his teammates and opponents as highly competitive, developing the trademark of rolling the ball to the far side of the pitcher's mound (closest to the Mets' dugout) while leaving the field after his pitcher ended an inning with a strikeout. This necessitated the opposing team's pitcher having to walk further to stoop and retrieve the ball.
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