Jerry Grote, 1942-2024

Only 2 men have ever been the starting catcher on a New York Mets team that won the World Series. The 1st was Jerry Grote. The 2nd was Gary Carter.

Now, they are both in that great ballpark in the sky.

Gerald Wayne Grote was born on October 6, 1942 in San Antonio, Texas. When the Mets and the Houston Colt .45s (they became the Astros in 1965) began play in the National League in 1962, they went in opposite directions. The Mets wanted high attendance, and stocked their team with veterans, including as many ex-Yankees, ex-New York Giants, and ex-Brooklyn Dodgers as they could find. The Colts wanted to build a team that would contend within a few years, and trusted the kids. Jerry Grote was one of them.

A catcher, he debuted with them in 1963, before turning 19. Ironically, they traded him to the Mets on October 19, 1965, for a player to be named later. The player turned out to be Tom Parsons, a pitcher who had made 40 major league appearances before the trade, and made none afterward.

Given that, in 1969, the Astros were in their 1st-ever Pennant race, but fell to 81-81, 12 games out of 1st place in the NL Western Division, this looks like a horrible trade. But it wasn't: The catcher they did have, Johnny Edwards actually had a better year at the plate than Grote.

Grote was the Mets' starting catcher during their best era, including the 1969 World Championship and the 1973 Pennant. He was an All-Star in 1968 and 1974. His most productive season was the World Championship year of 1969, when he hit 6 home runs and had 40 RBIs. His highest batting average was .295 in 1975. No, he was no Mike Piazza with the bat. But he never took steroids, and he won.

The Mets traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 31, 1977, for players to be named later. Those players turned out to be pitcher Daniel Smith and infielder Randy Rogers, neither of whom ever reached the majors. He and he played against the Yankees in the 1977 and 1978 World Series, both of which the Yankees won. After a brief turn with the Kansas City Royals in 1981, the Dodgers brought him back, but released him before the postseason, so he was not a member of the Dodger team that beat the Yankees in that year's World Series.

The Mets elected him to their team Hall of Fame. He was also named to the Texas Baseball and San Antonio Sports Halls of Fame. After managing in the minor leagues for a few years, he retired to a ranch outside Austin. He attended the anniversary reunions for the 1969 and 1973 teams, the closing of Shea Stadium in 2008, the opening of Citi Field in 2009, and the Mets' 50th and 60th Anniversary celebrations.

He married and divorced twice, before a 3rd marriage that lasted for the record of his life. With his 1st wife, he had 3 children, Sandy, Jeff and Jennifer.

Jerry Grote died yesterday, April 7, 2024, at a hospital in Austin, Texas, of long-term heart trouble. He was 81 years old.

With his death, there are now 16 surviving players from the 1969 World Champion New York Mets: 16 players: Nolan Ryan, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, Ed Kranepool, Wayne Garrett, Cleon Jones, Ron Swoboda, Art Shamsky, Al Weis, Ken Boswell, Ron Taylor, Bobby Pfeil, J.C. Martin, Duffy Dyer, Rod Gaspar & Jack DiLauro.

And there are 14 living former players in the New York Mets Hall of Fame: Koosman, Kranepool, Jones, Jon Matlack, Mookie Wilson, Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry, Ron Darling, Dwight Gooden, Howard Johnson, John Franco, Al Leiter, Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza.

No, Ryan is not in it. Nor is Swoboda. Nor is Len Dykstra, whom they'd probably like to induct, but can't because of his off-field misdeeds. But manager Davey Johnson, and broadcasters Gary Cohen and Howie Rose, are in it and still alive as of this writing.